Elon Musk not leaving Mar-a-Lago until Trump throws him out: Report

Elon Musk, Tesla CEO and self-proclaimed dark gothic MAGA (Make America Great Again), seems to have taken a permanent residence at US President-elect Donald Trump's Florida estate, where he sits in on call with world leaders, sources told CNN.

Mar-a-Lago has become the epicentre of Trump's presidential transition, with Musk dining with the 78-year-old on the patio and enjoying golf since Trump's election win.

During a CNN broadcast on Sunday morning, tech journalist Kara Swisher claimed that Musk is not going anywhere "until Trump throws him out. Which could happen, because they're both really strong personalities who like to be at the centre of attention."

"Musk has been in the room when world leaders called Trump, and tonight we've learnt he's also weighing in on staffing decisions—making clear his preference for certain roles, even," CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins was quoted as saying by The Independent in its report.

Citing one such instance, Musk was with the President-elect at the Florida estate when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called to congratulate Donald Trump on his decisive election win, two sources with knowledge of the call told Axios. After talking with Trump came Musk, who reportedly told Zelenskyy that he would continue to provide a Starlink satellite internet connection to Ukraine.

On Sunday, Elon Musk entered the Republican Senate leadership race, endorsing Senator Rick Scott. Scott, a Florida Republican, had quickly supported Donald Trump's push for Senate leaders to back recess appointments — a strategy presidents can use to sidestep Congress but one that Senate Democrats could block.

Musk, who is close to Trump, also has ties to Trump’s transition co-chair, Howard Lutnick, the billionaire CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald. Sources said that Trump is taken with Musk, CNN reported.

“We have to protect our geniuses; we don’t have that many of them,” Trump said during his victory speech.

Meanwhile, the tech billionaire's political action committee (PAC) has spent around $200 million (Rs 1,660 crore) to help elect Donald Trump in the US elections, news agency Associated Press reported.

"While Musk himself is still not expected to take any kind of formal position, given how complicated it would be with his companies, what's becoming clearer tonight is that he doesn't really need to — with one source telling me Elon Musk is having just as much influence from the outside," Collins added.