Former US President Donald Trump said on Monday (local time) that he would offer tech billionaire Elon Musk a Cabinet position or advisory role if he is re-elected to the White House.
In an interview with news agency Reuters, Trump was asked if Musk was being considered for an advisory role or a Cabinet job. The former president replied that he would be open to doing so “if he (Musk) wanted to do it”.
“He’s a very smart man. If he wants to do that, I’ll do that too. He’s a genius,” Trump said.
Last month, Musk endorsed Trump for president. The tech billionaire praised the former president’s “innate courage” after he survived an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania and praised Trump’s vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance.
Musk’s relationship with Trump has grown increasingly close. On the billionaire’s forum, X, two people are engaged in a friendly conversation, Earlier this month, Musk reiterated his support for Trump’s campaign.
This is not the first time Musk has had an advisory role or Cabinet position under the Trump administration.
After Trump won the election in 2016, Musk was appointed to two of the Republican president’s advisory councils, where he aimed to influence environmental and immigration policies. However, the tech billionaire resigned in 2017 after Trump’s decision to pull the US out of the landmark Paris Climate Agreement.
According to Axios, during his interview with Trump at X, Musk broached the idea of a “government efficiency commission” to monitor spending and reduce waste, and said he would be eager to serve on such a board.
In May, The Wall Street Journal reported that Musk and Trump had discussed a potential role for the billionaire in his administration if Trump was re-elected. However, Musk and SpaceX denied the report at the time.
Trump plans to eliminate electric vehicle tax credit
Meanwhile, during an interview with Reuters, Trump said he plans to eliminate the $7,500 (roughly Rs. 6.28 lakhs) tax credit for buying electric vehicles if he is re-elected, saying, “Tax credits and tax incentives are generally not a very good thing.” The move, if implemented, could have significant consequences for Musk-owned electric carmaker Tesla.
If Trump is elected in the November 5 presidential election, he could move to overturn Treasury Department rules making it easier for automakers to take advantage of the $7,500 credit, or he could ask the US Congress to end it altogether, Reuters reports.
When Trump was president from 2017 to 2021, he sought to repeal the EV tax credit, which was later extended by President Joe Biden in 2022.
“I’m not making any final decision on it. I’m a big fan of electric cars, but I’m also a fan of gasoline-powered cars, hybrids and whatever other cars will come up,” the former president said of the tax credit.
Trump insisted he would eliminate Biden administration rules that give automakers a free hand to build more EVs and plug-in hybrids to meet stricter emissions standards. He stressed that he sees a “very small market” for EVs because of cost and battery range issues.
(With inputs from Reuters)
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