[Tesla CEO Elon Musk had a seat at the family table for Thanksgiving dinner at Mar-a-Lago, joining President-elect Donald Trump, Melania Trump and their 18-year-old son Barron, in the latest indicator of Trump’s growing bond with the world’s richest man.
Musk was seated right next to Trump in a video posted by Michael Solakiewicz, which shows the pair enjoying a campaign rally classic, “Y-M-C-A.” Trump slapped his hand on the table and gave Musk’s shoulder a friendly pat, and Musk pumped both fists in the air.
Musk reposted another TikTok of him at the Thanksgiving celebration chatting with Trump ally Sylvester Stallone, as the President-elect greeted people at a table nearby. In the post, Musk referenced the movie Demolition Man, which he watched again and commented on how well it predicted the current state of affairs.
In the incoming Trump administration, Musk has been selected to run the newly created “Department of Government Efficiency,” or DOGE, along with former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. The choice in particular of Musk has raised questions about potential conflicts of interest, given the companies he leads have existing government contracts.
Musk has been spending significant time at Mar-a-Lago during the presidential transition, and has been in the room when multiple world leaders have phoned Trump, weighing in on staffing decisions and making clear his preferences for certain roles. Musk was with Trump at Mar-a-Lago when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called to congratulate the president-elect, and Trump put the call on speaker, with Zelensky thanking Musk for his help providing communications to Ukraine through the billionaire’s Starlink internet service.
Musk is not the only social media owner spending face time with Trump. Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg was at Mar-a-Lago on Wednesday. But Musk has gained an almost familial standing, and Trump has also spent time on Musk’s turf, attending the SpaceX Starship rocket test launch in Texas last week.
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