Corruption has been in President Donald Trump’s crosshairs at a recent press conference he held at his Mar-a-Lago estate. But when asked about Elon Musk and his conflict of interests, Trump was rather evasive about the subject.
Trump was told by a reporter at Mar-a-Lago that Elon Musk’s work with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) directly clashes with several contracts he has with the government. “Mr. President, given your concerns about corruption, you said that if there were any conflicts of interest with Elon Musk, you wouldn’t let him near it. DOGE and SpaceX employees are now directly working at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Defense Department (DoD).” The reporter points out that these two agencies in particular have “billions of dollars in contracts” with Musk’s companies. The reporter concluded by asking Trump how this situation isn’t a conflict of interest on Musk’s behalf.
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“Well, I mean, I’m just hearing about it,” the president claims to be unaware of these conflicts of interests. He continued, “But obviously, I will not let there be any conflict of interests. He’s done an amazing job.” Trump added that Musk can’t be involved in “any conflicts.” Despite these platitudes, Trump makes it seem as if Musk’s conflicts simply went unnoticed by him.
“Trump’s ignorance on Musk’s FAA & DoD involvement is either incompetence or willful ignorance,” an X user pointed out in an accusatory tweet against the president. They continued, “It’s a clear conflict of interest, and typical of his administration’s disregard for ethics.”
Another X user thought that Trump’s response was to be expected of him. They were accustomed to Trump denying involvement or knowledge of damning facts.
Who can hold Musk accountable?
Elon Musk has been questioned about his conflict of interests before. A reporter asked Musk about his investigation of the Department of Defense with DOGE and if he acknowledges it as a conflict of interest. Musk simply denied any conflicts through corporate speak. His denial doesn’t erase the fact that he has several conflicts with the agencies he’s cracking down on.
This begs the question: who can hold Elon Musk accountable? After all, Musk himself wouldn’t admit to having a conflict. The Trump administration, on the other hand, hasn’t been opposed to Musk’s crackdown on federal agencies either.
Published: Feb 20, 2025 02:29 am