America in the vortex of power of billionaire Elon Musk

With immense wealth, numerous influential companies, and a position in the administration of US President-elect Donald Trump, billionaire Elon Musk is forging unprecedented power in the United States.

At the annual rally organized by the conservative group Turning Point in Phoenix, Arizona, on December 22nd, President-elect Trump, addressing the role of billionaire Musk (owner of Tesla, SpaceX, and the social network X), emphasized: "No, he ( Musk ) is not going to be president. I can assure you he will not become president." Trump also asserted that he remains a true president.

A billionaire with immense political power.

Speaking to Business Insider last week, Karoline Leavitt, spokesperson for Donald Trump's transition team, JD Vance, also emphasized: "President-elect Trump is the leader of the Republican Party." This response was given in response to questions about Musk's role in last week's contentious budget bill.

Thus, in just a few days, Trump and Republicans have spoken out to assert that billionaire Musk is not "ruling" the government. This continuous outcry stems from American public opinion, as well as pressure from the Democratic Party, questioning whether Elon Musk is truly controlling the policies of both the Republican Party and President-elect Trump. Some Democratic lawmakers have even compared Musk to a " prime minister " in Trump's administration.

President-elect Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk at an event in November.

After Trump's election victory and the appointment of billionaire Musk to head the Department of Government Effectiveness (DOGE), an unofficial cabinet body, the Tesla CEO has increasingly asserted his power. In a recent poll by Eurasia Group, a leading global political risk research and consulting firm, Musk ranked second only to Trump on the list of "political game changers" worldwide.

Not only does billionaire Elon Musk directly express his opinions and criticize policies that oppose his views, but he recently didn't hesitate to "warn" Republican members of Congress if they vote for the budget bill in the House of Representatives. He implied that these members of Congress would have difficulty being re-elected in the next election. In fact, after acquiring the social media platform Twitter and renaming it X, billionaire Elon Musk is considered to have enough power to influence public opinion. This makes many politicians wary.

A shift in US policy?

One of the topics that Mr. Musk has recently addressed is US aid to other countries. In an analysis sent to Thanh Nien newspaper , Eurasia Group stated: "When the regime of Bashar al-Assad collapsed in Syria, President-elect Trump declared: 'This is not our war.' Trump's unwillingness to intervene from abroad and his America-centric stance are not new. This is also a position that many Americans support. But billionaire Musk has gone even further."

Specifically, he expressed support for the views of former US Congressman Ron Paul. Posting on X not long ago, Ron Paul stated: "Let's cut foreign aid! This aid is taking money from the poor and middle class in America and giving it to the rich in poor countries – with a portion going to middlemen in between! Americans don't want their government borrowing more money to spend on foreign aid." The former congressman also argued that cutting foreign aid is something Musk's Government Efficiency Committee could easily do. Responding immediately on X afterward, billionaire Musk declared: "Ron is not wrong."

Given Musk's current power and views, analysts believe that the US, under the upcoming Trump administration, may significantly cut aid to other countries. This would create a major shift in Washington's foreign policy over the past several years.

However, some argue that, given Trump's personality, Musk's increasing prominence could pose a challenge to their close relationship.

President Mulino hits back at Trump over the Panama Canal.

* Will TikTok have a chance to survive in the US?

Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino wrote on social media on December 22nd that the Panama Canal and surrounding areas will continue to belong to Panama. Mulino also asserted that the Panama Canal is not under the control of China or any other power, according to AFP.

President Mulino's reaction came after U.S. President-elect Donald Trump warned that if Panama could not ensure the "safe, efficient, and reliable operation" of the Panama Canal, "we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to us." Trump complained that U.S. ships were being treated unfairly in the Panama Canal, as well as about China's growing influence around the canal.

* In other news, on December 22, Mr. Trump signaled his support for TikTok continuing to operate in the US for a short period. Mr. Trump addressed this issue while speaking at the annual Turning Point rally on December 22.

AFP quoted him as saying: "I think we'll have to start thinking because, you know, we've joined TikTok, and we've received a fantastic response with billions of views."

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Source: https://thanhnien.vn/nuoc-my-trong-vong-xoay-quyen-luc-cua-ti-phu-elon-musk-185241223224438848.htm