Elon Musk (L) and Donald Trump (R).
David Swanson | Vincent Alban | Reuters
Former President Donald Trump on Monday said he would offer Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk a Cabinet position or an advisory role in his administration if he wins a second term in the White House.
Trump told Reuters in an interview that he would tap Musk for such a position “if he would do it.”
But the Republican nominee also said he would consider getting rid of a $7,500 tax credit for certain new electric vehicles. That could affect business for Tesla, which sells EVs.
“Tax credits and tax incentives are not generally a very good thing,” Trump told Reuters after a campaign event in York, Pennsylvania.
Musk, in an apparently tongue-in-cheek reply on his social media platform X, said, “I am willing to serve.”
His Monday night post included a picture of himself standing at a lectern bearing the label “Department of Government Efficiency,” and topped with the letters D.O.G.E.
The letters are a reference to a popular “doge” meme, which began mainly as a striking image of a Shiba Inu dog and later became the face of the cryptocurrency Dogecoin, which Musk has repeatedly promoted.
Musk endorsed Trump in July, shortly after the former president narrowly survived an assassination attempt at a campaign rally in western Pennsylvania.
In an interview with Trump that was livestreamed on X on Aug. 12, Musk floated the idea of a “government efficiency commission” and said he would be “happy to help out” on it.
Trump is set to face Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, in November’s election.