Getty PicturesDonald Trump’s return to the White Home additionally appears to be like set to be a win for considered one of his most seen supporters: Elon Musk.
Mr Musk, the world’s richest man, spent election evening with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
“The folks of America gave @realDonaldTrump a crystal clear mandate for change tonight,” Mr Musk wrote on the social media platform X, which he owns.
Trump additionally singled-out Mr Musk in his victory speech, spending a number of minutes praising his rocket agency, Area X.
Mr Musk’s affiliation with the president-elect additionally boosted the share worth of his electrical automobile maker Tesla – and, with it, his web value, which now stands at an estimated $290bn.
Mr Musk threw his help behind the Republican nearly instantly after the assassination try on Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania in July.
He had beforehand described himself as “politically reasonable”, however stated within the run-up to the 2024 Presidential Election that he felt no selection however to help Trump because the Republican candidate.
He has regularly voiced considerations over the Biden administration’s strategy to immigration and the economic system, and claimed free speech could be in danger with one other Democrat presidency.
As one of many president-elect’s most necessary backers, the tech billionaire donated greater than $119m (£92m) to fund a Tremendous PAC aimed toward re-electing Trump.
He additionally spent the final weeks earlier than election day operating a get-out-the-vote effort within the battleground states, which included a each day giveaway of $1m to voters in these states.
The giveaway turned the topic of a authorized problem, although a choose later dominated they may go forward.
After throwing his identify, cash, and platform behind Trump, Mr Musk has lots to realize from Trump’s re-election.
The president-elect has stated that in a second time period, he would invite Mr Musk into his administration to remove authorities waste.
Mr Musk has referred to the potential effort because the “Division of Authorities Effectivity,” or DOGE, the identify of a meme and cryptocurrency that he has popularised.
The businessman may additionally profit from Trump’s presidency by way of his possession of SpaceX, which already dominates the enterprise of sending authorities satellites to area.
With an in depth ally within the White Home, Mr Musk may search to additional capitalise on these authorities ties.
Mr Musk has criticised rivals together with Boeing for the construction of their authorities contracts, which he says disincentive ending tasks on finances and on time.
SpaceX has additionally moved into constructing spy satellites simply because the Pentagon and American spy businesses seem poised to speculate billions of {dollars} into them.
Tesla may in the meantime reap features from an administration that Trump has stated could be outlined by “the bottom regulatory burden.”
Tesla’s share worth jumped by greater than 12% on Wednesday following information of Trump’s victory.
Simply final month, the US company in command of regulating highway security revealed it was probing Tesla’s self-driving software program programs.
Mr Musk has additionally come beneath hearth for allegedly searching for to dam Tesla employees from unionising. The United Auto Staff filed unfair labour observe costs in opposition to each Trump and Musk after the 2 talked about Musk supposedly firing putting employees throughout a dialog on X.
Trump has additionally pledged to decrease taxes on firms and the rich.
That’s one other promise Mr Musk is probably going hoping he’ll preserve.
North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher is sensible of the race for the White Home in his twice-weekly US Election Unspun publication. Readers within the UK can join right here. These outdoors the UK can join right here.
