ELON Musk will name his price for acting as a “heat shield” for Donald Trump eventually, his ex-security adviser has warned.
Former White House aide John Bolton said the Tesla mogul is using the US leader for his own agenda and is willing to weather criticism – for now.
He believes their bromance could end in tears as the Oval Office “isn’t large enough” for both their egos.
There has been a lot of talk in Washington about the possibility that Trump might lose interest in his billionaire friend – the top contributor to his 2024 campaign with a massive donation of $288 million.
But so far, the pair seem to have formed a formidable partnership.
Self-titled first buddy Musk is taking a divide-and-conquer approach to reshape government with Trump, who took office in January.
Musk has taken backlash for controversial decisions, which Bolton said comes as part of his “transactional” relationship with Trump.
John Bolton, who was the National Security Advisor for Trump from April 2018 to September 2019, mentioned to The Sun that Musk is currently viewed as someone who is promoting Trump’s goals.
“And the phrase you hear the White House people use a lot is that Musk is a heat shield for Trump. So he takes all the criticism.
“Now Trump will find out at some point that Musk has a price for this.
“I don’t know what it is, I’m not saying it’s just dollar terms.
Musk brings in Teslas from China, where they are made close to Shanghai; he also has numerous agreements with NASA and the Department of Defense for his company, SpaceX.
“He has a lot of financial interest, and I don’t know that he’s asked Trump for any help on any of these or not, but I think that’s on his mind somewhere.”
Musk and Trump have appeared very much inseparable ever since his victory party at the president’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
He even invited Elon and his son to join his family photo in the gilded halls.
In a lengthy victory speech, Trump gushed over his new found pal and said: “We have a new star, a star is born: Elon. He’s an amazing guy.”
Trump then tasked the tech tycoon with leading DOGE – a task force aimed at restructuring federal agencies, cutting budgets and staff and rooting out waste.
Tech chief Musk has extensive contracts with the federal government – putting him in a position to streamline regulations to benefit them.
His authority over federal agencies comes despite him not having a formal government role or congressional approval.
But for Trump, Musk appears to be a useful foil and deflects attention – and more importantly criticism – from him and his actions.
Musk’s wide-ranging cost-cutting efforts have been met with backlash including from some Republican lawmakers who have complained directly to Trump.
“I think they’re both so transactional,” Bolton said.
“It’s a question of who’s getting benefit out of whom, at any given point. Right now, I think it’s mutually beneficial.
“But it’ll be Trump that decides when it ends. That’s for sure.”
The first small crack in the partnership appeared last week [March 6] as Trump shifted his tone on Musk.
It followed a contentious meeting between Trump, Musk and cabinet secretaries to discuss efforts to slash government spending and personnel numbers.
Explosive scenes erupted between Musk and secretary of state Marco Rubio, a New York Times report claimed.
Musk accused Rubio of firing “nobody”, while Rubio’s simmering fury at the SpaceX boss came to the surface as he said he wasn’t being truthful.
Rubio pointed to the 1,500 state department officials who took early retirement in buyouts before sarcastically asking whether Musk wanted to rehire them – just to make a show of refiring them.
Trump then stepped in – and defended Rubio who he insisted is doing a “great job”.
Following the meeting, Trump appeared to temper Musk’s aggressive cost-slashing approach – saying job cuts should be with a “scalpel rather than a hatchet”.
Days earlier, Musk had wielded what he called a “chainsaw for bureaucracy” during the annual Conservative Political Action Conference.
Trump insisted DOGE is operating under White House oversight but said he wanted cabinet members to have greater discretion in retaining top talent rather than sweeping workforce cuts.
He said: “I don’t want to see a big cut where a lot of good people are cut.
“I want the Cabinet members to keep the good people, and the people who aren’t doing a good job, who are unreliable, don’t show up to work, et cetera, can be cut.”
It marked a shift in tone for Trump – who had previously branded the government “sloppy” and “bloated”.
Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s complicated relationship
PRESIDENT Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s relationship started rocky, but the pair have since seen their relationship rocket.
Back in 2022, Musk and Trump publicly feuded on X, then still known as Twitter.
Trump called Musk a liar and “bulls**t artist” during a rally in Alaska.
“Elon is not going to buy Twitter,” Trump said at the time.
“You know, he said the other day, ‘I’ve never voted for a Republican.’ I said, ‘I didn’t know that – you told me you voted for me. So he’s another bulls**t artist, but he’s not going to be buying it.”
In response to Trump’s critiques, the SpaceX founder clapped back.
“I don’t hate the man, but it’s time for Trump to hang up his hat & sail into the sunset,” Musk posted.
Musk also went on to buy X months later.
The X owner said he had previously voted mostly for Democrats since becoming a United States citizen in 2002.
Musk initially backed Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to be the Republican Party’s presidential nominee.
“My preference for the 2024 presidency is someone sensible and centrist,” Musk wrote on X in 2022.
“I had hoped that would [be] the case for the Biden administration, but have been disappointed so far.”
His shift in political parties might be attributed to his plummeting relationship with President Joe Biden who didn’t invite Musk to the 2021 White House electric vehicle summit.
Despite their past issues, Trump and Musk’s relationship took a turn last March after they met at Mar-a-Lago.
Trump was also previously against electric vehicles but has since changed his stance.
“I’m for electric cars,” he said at a rally.
“I have to be, because Elon endorsed me very strongly. So I have no choice.”
Following the assassination attempt at Trump’s rally in July, Musk announced his support for the former president.
“I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery,” Musk wrote on X after the shooting.
And during a press conference soon after, Trump spoke highly of Musk.
“I respect Elon a lot. He respects me,” he said.
“Elon, more than almost anybody I know, he loves this country. He loves the concept of this country, but like me, he says this country is in big trouble, it’s in tremendous danger.”
Musk has been pictured at events at Mar-a-Lago and the UFC, buddying up with Trump.
Trump selected Musk to lead the Department of Government Efficiency – a task force aimed at cutting bureaucracy.
