If Elon Musk were to join the US government after a potential Donald Trump victory in the presidential election, he would be following a trend of billionaire businesspeople holding public office. From Vice President Nelson Rockefeller and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and former President Trump, the super-rich have often held positions of power in Washington, DC and state capitals across the US. With the election on a knife’s edge, Musk is a serious contender to join Trump’s cabinet as the “Secretary of Cost Cutting”, a position suggested by the Republican candidate. Trump has a history of appointing high-net-worth individuals from the private sector to his Cabinet, such as Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson and billionaire philanthropist Betsy DeVos. Musk, the world’s richest man, has called for significant cuts in government spending, although he has not provided specific details on where these cuts would be made. However, such drastic reductions in spending, as proposed by Musk, would likely require cuts in areas like social security, healthcare, veterans’ benefits, and defense – areas that politicians have been hesitant to touch. Critics have raised concerns about Musk’s lack of experience in the public sector and his potential conflicts of interest, given his companies’ billions of dollars in government contracts. Despite these concerns, Musk’s influence in the political arena has been significant, as he has actively supported Trump’s campaign financially and through his social media platform. His potential entry into government would mark a new chapter in the involvement of business elites in politics, a trend that has been observed globally but is less common in democracies compared to autocracies.
