- The global community must be watching with bewilderment, consternation, and anxiety how the US president Donald Trump’s blue-eyed Elon Musk is going about causing so much disruption in the administration. Of course, the whole world knew how the richest man in the universe was firmly ensconced by the side of the wannabe most powerful executive right from the time Donald Trump was confirmed as the Republican candidate for the presidency. Prima facie, it was quite apparent that in the name of cost cutting wasteful expenses, Musk was vociferous about his intentions to prune the supposedly bloated manpower in several departments without any inhibitions. This formed one of the most defining campaign strategies for Trump and his team.
PC: BBC
- Soon after assuming the office, Trump signed an executive order setting up the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to address this matter. As things have been happening over the last few weeks, Musk appears to be everywhere, including diplomacy and day-to-day administration, leading to Trump’s executive/administration team expressing increasing concerns about the involvement. Musk may or may not be an ace for Trump. But he is certainly complicating diplomacy for Washington. Look at some of the recent occurrences. Following the Trump-Zelensky blow-up in the Oval Office, the US got itself into another spat over the weekend, this time with Polish foreign minister on X over Musk’s satellite internet service Starlink for Ukraine.
PC: The Hindu
- Of course, Poland pays for it. Foreign Minister took exception to Musk saying that Ukraine’s entire frontline would collapse if he turned off Starlink, to which the billionaire responded, be quiet, small man. This forced the US Secretary of State to back up Musk, while Polish PM defended his foreign minister. All of this was avoidable. Diplomacy means careful handling. Musk, who works within the Trump administration in an unofficial capacity, talking down to the foreign minister of an allied European nation complicates matters for Washington officials. There are two issues here. First, Trump himself is mercurial, a trait that has been cultivated as a strength of his administration. By shaking up narratives, Trump is supposed to be able to get people out of their comfort zone.
PC: ABC News
And make deals. All those who work with Trump know this and play their respective roles. But if there is a Trump clone in Musk, who’s also shooting off at foreign officials, the strategy doesn’t work. Trust in the American leadership gets eroded. Second, Musk is a private businessman. But if he is allowed to command crucial US govt projects, get important contracts and leverage his closeness to the president, there’s a danger of those services being run according to his whims and fancies. Allowing unaccountable friends, a free hand to represent US interests will be counterproductive. Will Musk become a liability for Trump? Musk is his biggest individual political donor. Will he impede Trump’s policymaking? Looks like the case.
 to reduce government spending, Musk's expanding influence in areas including foreign affairs has created tensions both within the administration and with allied nations like Poland over matters such as Starlink service in Ukraine.){kind=link}