Elon Musk’s Role in Government Under Scrutiny: President Trump Assures No Conflicts of Interest
President Donald Trump has personally assured that tech billionaire Elon Musk will not abuse his role as a cost-cutter in the government. Trump made these assurances in response to questions from reporters in the Oval Office. Previously, the White House had stated that Musk himself was responsible for ensuring there were no conflicts of interest. Musk, CEO of electric carmaker Tesla and aerospace company SpaceX, among other ventures, has been tasked with identifying inefficiencies and waste in government operations.
Trump dismissed concerns that Musk could use his government position to benefit his businesses. "Number one, he’s not going to do anything where there would be a conflict of interest," Trump said. "And number two, they wouldn’t let him do it anyway."
Meanwhile, Musk met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Washington, D.C. Photographs shared on Musk’s social media platform, X, through Modi’s account showed them seated in front of the flags of both countries. One of the photos captured chairs on Modi’s side of the room occupied by members of his delegation, while several children accompanied by two female escorts sat across from them.
When asked by reporters, Trump expressed uncertainty about whether Musk met with Modi as a representative of the U.S. government or as an entrepreneur. "I assume he wants to do business in India," Trump speculated.
Recent controversy arose over the mention of a $400 million contract for Tesla in the U.S. State Department’s procurement forecast. A State Department spokesperson clarified that the document should have only referred generically to armored electric vehicles from the beginning. The entry has since been amended to reflect this. The department also stated that there were currently no plans to issue a solicitation for the acquisition.
The Tesla reference, first spotted by the blog Drop Site News, raised eyebrows given Musk’s government role. Tesla posted its first sales decline in over a decade last year, making large-scale government contracts potentially attractive.
Musk’s team, coined Doge (Department of Government Efficiency), has been combing through various U.S. agencies, claiming to have uncovered billions of dollars in waste and fraud. However, some of his cited examples have been proven false, and written documentation has yet to be made public.
The State Department explained that the procurement forecast entry stemmed from a directive under the Biden administration to assess the industry’s readiness to supply armored vehicles to the department. Only one manufacturer responded, potentially explaining how Tesla’s name entered the forecast in December. According to the document, the State Department also plans to purchase armored vehicles from BMW for $40 million.
The disclosure of the Tesla entry led to speculation that the electric pickup truck Cybertruck’s ample size would make it a suitable candidate for the acquisition. As Tesla does not manufacture armored vehicles, a large portion of any contract would likely go to companies specializing in such conversions. Musk has previously claimed that the Cybertruck’s body steel is thick enough to deflect bullets from certain firearms.
