Featured Image Credit: Getty Images/Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images/Pool
Topics: Elon Musk, Donald Trump
Stefania Sarrubba
Topics: Elon Musk, Donald Trump
The White House has clarified Elon Musk's new role within the US federal government with the blessing of President Donald Trump.
A few weeks after Trump was sworn in, taking over from his Democratic predecessor Joe Biden, Musk has been at the centre of a controversy as he's been appointed to a special governement role.
Musk, who is the world's richest man and the CEO of Tesla, SpaceX and social platform X (formerly Twitter) amongst other companies, has since gained power within the government, having access to sensitive databases and sidelining employees with the aim of cutting spending.
But what is Musk's job title exactly, you might ask.
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The White House has responded to so many Americans' question with a murky definition, naming Musk a 'special government employee'. However vague, the job title comes with certain privileges, of course. If you're thinking in shock, 'what more privileges could Elon Musk want', just you wait till you read the whole spiel.
According to APNews, as a special government employee, Musk is subjected to less stringent rules on ethics and financial disclosures than other workers. Trump has also given Musk office space in the White House complex to oversee a team of people at the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a temporary organisation led by Musk and formed without congressional approval.
Trump has recently addressed concerns regarding Musk's conflict of interest, saying: “Elon can’t do and won’t do anything without our approval.
“Where we think there’s a conflict or there’s a problem, we won’t let him go near it, but he has some very good ideas,” he added.
Some have seen Musk's close involvement in the White House affairs as a 'reward' for his work during Trump's campaign.
The tech mogul supported Trump against Democratic candidate Kamala Harris, spending roughly $250 million to back the Republican through America PAC (via APNews). This is a super political action committee, a coalition of businesses rallying behind Trump and founded by Musk, with actions including door-to-door canvassing and digital advertising.
Meanwhile, the public has been raising eyebrows at the appointment, with some Reddit users pointing out the Republican double standards had former President Biden appointed philanthropist George Soros to a similar role.
“This would have gone over really well with conservatives had Biden done this,” one person wrote, while another noted: “lol imagine if Joe Biden had hired George Soros to be a 'special government employee.'”
Finally, a third person highlighted an eerie similarity between the language used to describe Musk's new gig at the White House and that of Russian president Vladimir Putin when announcing the invasion of Ukraine in his infamous February 2022 speech.
“Reminds me of someone calling something a 'special military operation,'” the Redditor noted, with another person agreeing: “Exactly what I clicked on here to say, absolutely crazy."