Something tells us this could be the one thing that really gets under Donald Trump’s skin over the next few months. Time Magazine this week ran a cover of Elon Musk sat behind the president’s desk – implying he is the one who’s actually in charge.
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Time Magazine cover ruffles a few feathers
Since the inauguration last month, Mr. Musk’s propensity for putting himself front and centre of this new administration has been a painful watch. His drive to cut government expenditure has become the biggest story in the US – cutting-in on Trump’s airtime.
In a move which somehow didn’t result in us all dying from cringe, Elon also named himself ‘First Buddy’, and has been stood alongside the actual president at a number of high-level engagements. However, his presence is now becoming a punchline.
President Trump, or President Musk?
Last month, Donald Trump responded abruptly to the suggestion that Musk was secretly running the show, reminding his compatriots that the tech billionaire can’t be president, because he is ‘not from America’. In laymen’s terms, he was rattled.
This time, however, the 78-year-old did have a quip up his sleeve. While hosting the Japanese president in the Oval Office, a reporter asked for his reaction to the latest cover of Time Magazine – to which Trump replied; ‘I didn’t know they were still in business’.
Donald Trump brushes-off Time Magazine jibe
Perhaps a little far-fetched, given that he was named as their ‘Person of the Year‘ for 2024. But, blunt responses aside, Trump did show that him and Musk are still in their honeymoon phase – and he praised the Tesla founder for doing ‘a great job’.
“Elon Musk is doing a great job fighting fraud, corruption, and waste. You’ve seen it with USAID, you will see it with other parts of government. He has some fantastic staff, and has wanted to do this for us a very long time.” | Donald Trump