The battle to keep big money out of politics, sadly, appears to have been lost. But one reason why some have long called for some sort of campaign finance reform has been the prospect that rich donors could influence the function of government. That’s always happened, to some degree, but it appears right now that one particular donor is trying to do just that.
According to a new Axios report, there are “signs of tension” between billionaire Elon Musk — who as of late October had donated more than $100 million to Trump and Trump-related entities — and Trump adviser Boris Epshteyn, mostly over cabinet picks. “Some Trump loyalists,” per the report, are lamenting Musk’s consideration influence on the president-elect.
Elon Musk has quickly become an influential figure in President-elect Trump’s inner circle, but there are signs of tension between Musk and a longtime Trump adviser over Cabinet appointments to the new administration. https://t.co/CqaJuM6v3i
— Axios (@axios) November 18, 2024
Musk, in turn, “has questioned whether Epshteyn has had too much influence in Trump’s selections, especially his top Justice Department picks and the White House counsel.” The two are said to favor rival candidates for Treasury Secretary, with Howard Lutnick favored by Musk, and Scott Bessent favored by Epshteyn (and also the choice of Wall Street.)
Would be interesting to hear more people weigh in on this for @realDonaldTrump to consider feedback.
My view fwiw is that Bessent is a business-as-usual choice, whereas @howardlutnick will actually enact change.
Business-as-usual is driving America bankrupt, so we need change… https://t.co/igGLZOJ8wz
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 16, 2024
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It led up to a “heated discussion” at Mar-a-Lago, which led to a “massive blowup” and a “huge explosion,” in which Musk accused Epshteyn of leaking information about the cabinet picks. The dynamic of one Trump adviser accusing a second Trump adviser of leaking, and the conversation itself soon leaking, will be very familiar to those who paid attention to the first Trump presidency, especially the early battles between Jared Kushner and Steve Bannon.
Epshteyn, a lawyer who was involved with legal defense in Trump’s many criminal cases, is one of those Trump advisers who has been in and out of favor over the years, but now is exerting lots of influence behind the scenes. He has been credited with the pick of Matt Gaetz as attorney general, as well as the appointment of some ex-Trump criminal lawyers to Justice Department posts, per the Axios report.
Photo courtesy of Political Tribune media library.
