Efforts to Arrange Elon Musk's Return to Trump

Although previously tense with the White House, billionaire Elon Musk has returned, reaffirming his position as an indispensable strategic ally of the MAGA movement. After Donald Trump’s victory in the November 2024 election, Elon Musk began appearing regularly at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, calling himself the “first best friend” of the incoming president. During that time, the American billionaire also started planning the future of the Government Performance Board (DOGE), a streamlined government initiative praised highly by Trump. DOGE is seen as the pinnacle of the philosophy Musk applies in his companies: rapid personnel cuts, sometimes achieving ambitious goals but also leading to lawsuits and legal loopholes. Many in Washington initially doubted Musk would fail with the DOGE project. They were wrong. Immediately after Trump’s inauguration, DOGE launched an unprecedented campaign within federal agencies: downsizing staff, mass data collection, and dissolving numerous agencies, including USAID. In February 2025, Musk wielded a chainsaw at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) to showcase DOGE’s budget-cutting strategy. However, Musk’s aggressive style has alienated many, raising concerns that the American billionaire is going too far. Efforts to persuade the US Congress to pass laws supporting Musk’s proposed changes were largely rejected. “He’s used to being treated like a king. But in Congress, he doesn’t receive much respect. And he’s not good at political lobbying,” said a Musk associate. Musk repeatedly clashed with government officials, who were unhappy with his deep involvement in personnel and decision-making within their agencies. When Musk left the White House at the end of May 2025, internal disputes turned public. The American billionaire confronted Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Foreign Secretary Marco Rubio, Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy, Trade Advisor Peter Navarro, and White House aide Sergio Gor. The relationship with Gor was the most problematic. On Musk’s last day as a special government employee, Gor, responsible for personnel issues, provided Trump with documents showing Jared Isaacman, Musk’s nominee for NASA Director, had previously funded the Democratic Party. Gor knew the White House boss was very sensitive to appointments of those with different ideological views, and when Trump learned of this, he immediately withdrew Isaacman’s nomination, despite Musk’s disappointment. Three days later, Musk attacked the “Dự luật To đẹp” bill supported by the Trump administration. The relationship between Trump and Musk began to fracture. Elon Musk even announced plans to establish a new party to directly compete with the Republican Party, turning personal discord into a full-scale battle targeting the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement. Vice President JD Vance and his associates worry that the new party could harm the Republicans in the 2026 midterm elections and beyond. Vance and Musk knew each other before the election but grew closer after the American billionaire moved to Washington and led DOGE. In February 2025, Vance invited Musk to dinner with his family. The two kept in regular contact and shared mutual friends in Silicon Valley, including David Sacks, White House AI advisor. However, this did not deter Musk from confronting the government. Funding a party opposed to the Republicans could divide the base and benefit the Democrats. Vance called Musk’s close associates to persuade the billionaire to abandon the new party plan. Sacks also intervened, telling Musk that factional division on the right would be detrimental to the country. Alongside Vance and his team’s efforts, other factors gradually shifted Musk’s stance. Strategists close to Musk expressed hesitation about the new party idea, believing it would be difficult to succeed and could even destroy their careers tied to the Republican Party. In early September 2025, after conservative activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated at a university in Utah, Musk felt compelled to act. He increased collaboration with Republican strategists and even expressed a desire to return support for Republican politicians in the 2026 midterms. Meanwhile, the White House discussed ways to bring Musk back. Vance and his team knew that Musk’s top priority was restoring Isaacman’s nomination as NASA administrator. Sources say Vance personally lobbied lawmakers to support this. He communicated with key members of the Senate Commerce Committee to ensure the nomination process proceeded swiftly. Subsequently, the White House transferred Gor to an overseas position. “His departure made it easier for everyone to reconcile,” said a source. In November 2025, a significant change occurred: Musk returned to the White House to attend a banquet with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Trump mentioned the billionaire multiple times during his speech. “Elon, you’re really lucky to have me by your side. Have you thanked me properly yet?” Trump joked when introducing the new tax incentives for US-made vehicles. Trump also revisited the 2024 campaign, calling Musk the biggest donor, and recounted discussions between them about strategies to attack Democrats over border issues and transgender athletes. At the end of that month, Musk gathered former DOGE staff for a reunion in Bastrop, Texas. Appearing via video link, Musk spoke about the start of 12 “great” years, including Trump’s second term of four years and Vance’s subsequent eight years. According to a source, Musk has always considered Vance a potential presidential candidate for the 2028 election. Despite being an unpredictable factor, Musk remains a highly influential ally. With nearly unlimited financial resources and social media appeal, he could become a major asset for the MAGA movement even if Trump leaves politics.