Donald Trump touts Elon Musk as future national "cost-cutter" at Michigan rally

In between running Tesla, Space X and the social-media network X, multibillionaire Elon Musk will be the nation’s “cost cutter” should Donald Trump be returned to the presidency, the former president said at a rally in Michigan on Friday.

“I’m going to get Elon, and he’s great at this; he’s going to be our cost-cutter. I think he can save trillions,” Trump told a crowd gathered in Kent County, Michigan.

“I don’t think I can get him full-time because he’s a little bit busy sending rockets up, and all the things he does,” Trump said. “But he’s so much into that. He said the waste in this country is crazy.”

Two years ago, Musk posted on X: “In the past I voted Democrat, because they were (mostly) the kindness party. But they have become the party of division & hate, so I can no longer support them and will vote Republican. Now, watch their dirty tricks campaign against me unfold.”

Even so, it wasn’t known how much he would align with Trump until he formally endorsed the former president following the first assassination attempt.

Since then, he has been praising Trump regularly on his X platform.

On Friday, the Republican nominee said that Musk would work for free in his administration should he beat Vice President Kamala Harris in November.

“We’re going to get Elon Musk to be our cost-cutter. He’s going to do it for zero. He doesn’t want anything,” Trump told the crowd.

“It’s going to be incredible, what he’ll be able to do, without hurting anybody — just waste. It’s waste, fraud and abuse … you get rid of that; everybody lives much better, we have a country that’s really strong again,” Trump said.