Donald Trump introduced in a speech on Thursday that, if elected, he would type a authorities effectivity fee, a coverage concept that Elon Musk has been pushing him to tackle. The previous president claimed the tech billionaire had agreed to steer the fee.
Trump made the attention-grabbing announcement throughout a marketing campaign occasion on the Financial Membership of New York, however gave no particular particulars about how the fee would function.
He reiterated Musk’s argument that such a fee would minimize pointless spending, whereas additionally saying that he would massively stroll again authorities laws.
“I’ll create a authorities effectivity fee tasked with conducting a whole monetary and efficiency audit of all the federal authorities, and making suggestions for drastic reforms,” Trump informed the gang.
Musk and Trump have cast an more and more shut alliance over the previous 12 months, because the SpaceX and Tesla CEO has thrown his full help behind Trump’s presidential marketing campaign. Musk’s backing of Trump has consequently given the world’s richest man a direct line to affect Republican coverage – and, if Trump had been to really create an effectivity fee, sweeping powers over federal companies.
Musk’s potential involvement in Trump’s proposed fee would create apparent conflicts of curiosity, as his companies, resembling SpaceX and Neuralink, are each regulated by, and have enterprise with, quite a few authorities companies.
Musk reposted information of Trump’s plans on X, the platform previously referred to as Twitter, which he purchased for $44bn, and urged he would settle for such a place. “I look ahead to serving America if the chance arises,” Musk posted. “No pay, no title, no recognition is required.”
Musk raised the concept of an effectivity fee with Trump throughout their interview on X final month, with Musk providing to “assist out on such a fee”. Musk has incessantly pushed for deregulation and opposed authorities oversight into his companies, whereas on the identical time dealing with investigations and lawsuits over a variety of allegations together with breaking labor legal guidelines, violating animal-welfare protections and fascinating in sexual harassment.
Though Musk and Trump previously had an acrimonious relationship – Trump as soon as referred to Musk as a “bullshit artist”, whereas Musk mentioned Trump was too previous to run for president – the 2 have shaped a symbiotic relationship in latest months.
Musk, who incessantly engages with far-right activists on X and promotes anti-immigration content material, has attacked Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, as a communist, whereas his allies within the tech neighborhood have poured cash right into a Tremendous Pac backing Trump.
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