U.S. President-elect Donald Trump claimed Musk can't be president amid speculation about the tech entrepreneur's influence in Republican politics.

When it comes to controlling GOP leaders, Musk has a real advantage. Trump's favorite tool to keep politicians in line, threatening to run a primary opponent, makes even more sense for Musk, who can offer any such person limitless financial resources.

Musk, the owner of car manufacturer Tesla and social media platform X, has been tapped by Trump to lead the proposed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), with biotech entrepreneur and former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, after vocally supporting and financially backing his campaign for president.

Elon Musk is already making his presence felt on Capitol Hill even before Donald Trump takes office. He'll head up the Department of Government Efficiency and try to cut government waste. Last week, he urged lawmakers to shut down the government rather then accept a budget deal that was on the table.

Elon Musk began 2024 by keeping a cautious distance from then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. By November, he was labeled Trump's "best buddy."

Tech billionaire Elon Musk contributed enormous amounts of money to getting Donald Trump elected, and is now heading up his "Department of Government Efficiency" (DOGE) task force to recommend spending cuts.