“He’s a very smart guy. I certainly would, if he would do it, I certainly would. He’s a brilliant guy,” Trump told Reuters in an interview.
Musk, who also owns the social media platform X, endorsed Trump in the presidential race and backed a super PAC supporting the former president’s bid, The Hill’s Brett Samuels reported.
Trump and Musk held a two-hour conversation on X last week, during which the Tesla CEO signaled he would be willing to serve on a government commission to study the national debt and how Congress could reassess spending. The possibility of a Cabinet position did not come up.
“I think it would be great to just have a government efficiency commission that looks at these things to make sure taxpayer money is spent in a good way,” Musk told Trump. “I’d be happy to help out on such a commission.”
In the Reuters interview, Trump also signaled he was open to reversing a $7,500 tax credit for Americans who purchase an electric vehicle (EV).
The Biden administration has sought to incentivize the production and purchase of electric cars as part of its push to address climate change.
Despite Trump’s often antagonistic stance toward the EV industry, Tesla and Musk could stand to benefit from a second Trump presidency.
The billionaire tech mogul has previously argued that eliminating President Biden’s EV policies “will only help Tesla.” Some experts have agreed that while eliminating subsidies would likely hurt the industry as a whole, it could boost Tesla.
Musk could also boast a much closer relationship with Trump. The Tesla CEO’s relationship with the Biden administration turned sour early on, after he was excluded from several EV-related events at the White House.
Trump has also softened his tone on EVs in recent weeks following Musk’s endorsement.
“I’m for electric cars. I have to be, because Elon endorsed me very strongly. So I have no choice,” the former president said earlier this month.
Read more at TheHill.com.
