Trump's Latest Photo Is Surest Sign Yet He Isn't Getting Sick Of Elon Musk
Elon Musk spent millions on Donald Trump's presidential campaign, so it's easy to guess why Trump may be keeping him around. Ever since Election Day, Trump won't stop openly shading Musk for hanging around Mar-a-Lago too much. And, now, the rumor that Musk is moving to Florida proves his Trump obsession is getting even worse. All of these signs have been leading folks on the internet to believe that the president-elect is getting tired of his new right-hand man. Yet, a recent photo of Trump that he recently posted to Truth Social may say otherwise.
On December 8, the self-proclaimed "hip-hop Republican" Darius Mitchell posted a photo to Instagram showing Trump and Musk chatting up the prime minister of Italy Giorgia Meloni with the caption, "Paris yesterday, President-elect Donald Trump speaking with 'the Flash Gordon of Italy', Italian PM Giorgia Meloni. (Elon Musk too.)" The post also included a second photo showing Trump and Meloni talking to each other. Just over a week later, the first photo appeared on Trump's Truth Social account. Trump reposted the image, which shows Musk front and center laughing with Meloni and the president-elect on either side, with no caption. Still, as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. And, while we're not entirely sure what Trump's message with this photo was meant to be, one thing seems clear: somehow, he doesn't seem entirely sick of Musk just yet.
If Trump isn't sick of Musk yet... how?
It's seemingly working to Donald Trump and Elon Musk's advantage that no one can seem to agree on anything these days. Still, whether you're a fan of the president-elect and his most prolific soon-to-be-trillionaire henchman or not, there's one thing we can all agree on: Trump has a big ego. This unquestionable truth makes Trump's decision to share a photo where all the focus is on Musk and his own face is barely showing even more interesting. The post was likely Trump's attempt to deny accusations that he has a problem with Musk, whether it's true or not.
If they really are BFFs, is there anything other than a thirst for power keeping them together? According to a source in the inner circle, "Elon, like President Trump, doesn't give a s*** about what people think about him, and President Trump finds that refreshing" (via Politico). This statement's irony is chuckle-inducing, considering Trump and Musk's apparent ravenousness for public approval — or, more so, the illusion of it. Trump has called his detractors "the enemy from within," per NPR, and Musk has long been accused of using his ownership of X, formerly Twitter, to "silence his critics" (via The Drum). However, Politico's insider added, "Elon is probably the only other man in the world who can truly relate to President Trump," and this seems plausible. Is it enough to keep Trump eternally happy with Musk stealing the spotlight? Well, crazier things have happened in 2024.