Elon Musk's meetings with foreign leaders alongside Trump alarm Washington insiders
Elon Musk has been a constant companion to President-elect Donald Trump as Trump meets with foreign leaders.
Elon Musk has been a constant companion to President-elect Donald Trump as Trump meets with foreign leaders — an ever-present personality at Mar-a-Lago since November, even accompanying Trump to Paris on his first foreign trip since winning the election.
Musk’s proximity to the incoming president has given him invaluable access to heads of state, including French President Emmanuel Macron at the ceremonial reopening of Notre Dame and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in New York, referring to her as a “precious genius” and “even more beautiful on the inside than she is on the outside” in introductory remarks at a black-tie gathering.
More notably, Musk joined Trump’s pivotal first call after the election with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Musk’s interactions with world leaders alongside Trump are raising questions about the tech leader’s potential influence on U.S. foreign policy over the next four years and the potential for conflicts of interest, Washington insiders say. Musk maintains extensive worldwide investments, especially in China, America’s most powerful adversary, and has openly supported far-right political movements around the world.
“It’s on a level that is so foreign to me I can’t get my head around it,” a former national security official in President Barack Obama’s Cabinet said. “Being in these meetings alone or with Trump, who knows what ethics violations are taking place.”
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