Former President Donald Trump said Elon Musk would likely be too busy to join his cabinet but that he’d still welcome input from the world’s richest man in a part-time capacity.
During an interview with Shawn Ryan, a former Navy SEAL now turned YouTuber, Trump acknowledged that Musk’s existing commitments as the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, as well as the chief technology officer at X, mean he probably wouldn’t have the time to join the cabinet.
But Trump would welcome Musk if his schedule permits.
“He wants to be involved, but look, he’s running big businesses and all that,” Trump told Ryan in a video released Sunday. “So he can’t really. I don’t think he’d be for cabinet. I’d put him in the cabinet—absolutely. But I don’t know how he could do that with all the things he’s got going.”
Trump had some great things to say about Elon. Would you like to see @elonmusk in Trump’s cabinet if he’s elected as President?
— Shawn Ryan (@ShawnRyan762) August 25, 2024
Stream the full episode tomorrow at 12:30PM CST on the Shawn Ryan Show YouTube channel.
“What he really would like to do is get involved in cutting… pic.twitter.com/bVdmjKR5Yc
Trump first suggested the idea of Musk joining his cabinet last week, as reported by Reuters. While he now seems to have tempered his position about Musk’s role, Trump still sees an opportunity for Musk to be involved in the federal government.
“He can sort of, as the expression goes, consult with the country and give you some very good ideas,” Trump told Ryan.
Trump floated the idea that Musk could advise the federal government on AI policy, especially as the U.S. looks to compete with the rest of the world, and in particular China, to develop the most advanced versions of the technology. “On AI there is nobody that knows more about it than Elon,” Trump said. “It’s a big thing. And he said it’s very important, it’s very important for the country.”
Musk has a long history of working in artificial intelligence. He was instrumental in the founding of OpenAI before falling out with the company’s CEO, Sam Altman. Several of Musk’s other companies including X and Tesla are heavily invested in AI. X launched an AI chatbot called Grok, while Tesla aims to be one of the pioneers in developing autonomous driving and humanoid robots. Musk also has is own AI startup called xAI.
For his part, Musk said earlier this month that if Trump were to win reelection in November he’d welcome the opportunity to join a governmental audit committee.
During an X Spaces conversation with the former president, Musk pitched the idea of a “government efficiency commission” that would review public spending, saying he would “be happy to help out” on such a project. Trump replied that he would “love” to have Musk on such a committee.
He reiterated that point during the clip with Ryan.
“What he really would like to do is get involved in cutting some of the fat, and he does know how to do it,” Trump said. “He loves the country. And, you know, it’s just an amazing thing.”
Musk endorsed Trump immediately after the assassination attempt against the former president in July. Since then, the two men have heaped praise on one another. Musk lauded Trump’s bravery after the assassination attempt, while Trump commended Musk’s endorsement of his presidential bid and his smarts.
“He’s great,” Trump said on Sunday. “He is a totally unusual character. And he’s smart. We have to cherish our geniuses. You know we don’t have too many of them, right?”