By: Isabella Eduarda Panno
Elon Musk, a multi-billionaire entrepreneur and engineer, plays a vital role in actively revolutionizing all things technology. Meanwhile, Donald Trump, the unshakeable 45th and 47th president of the United States, has left a trail of compelling impact shaping politics around the world every day since 2017. These two renowned—or rather infamous figures share a lot in common upon a closer look. Their shared controversy and status have startled the public eye after Musk’s recent unexpected endorsement of Trump’s campaign.
Since the 47th presidential election in the United States, Trump and Musk have been seen supporting and collaborating with each other more than ever. While the republican party might not be particularly distressed with these two powerful figures working together, the democratic party can say the opposite for themselves.
As of February of 2025, Elon Musk has been selected to lead the Department of Government Efficiency, otherwise known as DOGE, and democrats are displaying discernible agony towards his prominent role. A recent poll conducted by Quinnipiac University showcased the increasing anguish and fear democrats are experiencing with 53% of total voters disapproving of Musk’s leadership—90% of them being democrats (John). Elon Musk proposed to get rid of USAID, a service providing aid for people recovering from poverty, employment loss, natural disasters, and more (Leyva). Elon Musk believes this is a criminal service, to which Trump agreed with. Democrats are at a loss for the current image of the United States caused by the combined power of these two forces.
The republican party’s perspective of Elon Musk’s relationship with Donald Trump is rather mixed compared to the democratic party’s unanimous disagreement. In the poll mentioned before, the amount of republicans who disapproved of Musk’s job in DOGE was a mere 19%, which may still be surprising considering the unconditional support republican citizens display to their leaders. At the start of Musk’s job at DOGE in late 2024, he had double the amount of republican supporters compared to early 2025. Despite democrats and republicans having different political values, they both seem to be losing trust in Trump’s decision of electing Elon Musk to be his business partner.
Works Cited
ET Online. “Trump-Musk Relationship Seeing Problems? After Stern Warning, President Now Smashes down Elon’s DOGE Reque.” The Economic Times, Economic Times, 5 Feb. 2025, economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/global-trends/us-news-donald-trump-rejects-elon-musk-request-baris-akis-hiring-doge-trump-musk-relationship-seeing-problems-after-stern-warning-president-now-smashes-down-elons-doge-request/articleshow/117953205.cms?from=mdr. Accessed 6 Feb. 2025.
John, Arit, et al. “Democrats Mobilize to Take on Musk after Weeks of Struggling to Find a Message.” CNN, 6 Feb. 2025, edition.cnn.com/2025/02/05/politics/democrats-messaging-elon-musk/index.html. Accessed 6 Feb. 2025.
Leyva, Diana. “Elon Musk, Trump Administration Aim to Shut down USAID. What to Know about the Agency in Tennessee.” The Tennessean, Nashville Tennessean, 4 Feb. 2025, www.tennessean.com/story/news/politics/2025/02/04/what-is-usaid-what-is-the-purpose-of-usaid/78211886007/. Accessed 6 Feb. 2025.
Sharma, Kalpana. “Bold, Brash, Billionaires: Three Surprisingly Common Traits of Donald Trump and Elon Musk.” Times Now, 7 Nov. 2024, www.timesnownews.com/lifestyle/people/bold-brash-billionaires-three-surprising-traits-shared-by-donald-trump-and-elon-musk-article-115046604. Accessed 6 Feb. 2025.
Photo: https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/technology/trump-waves-off-criticism-from-elon-musk-on-ai-announcement/article69134896.ece