Trump Seemingly Mistakes Social Media For Private Texts With Cringe Message To Elon Musk

Donald Trump's relationship with Elon Musk has had its bumpy moments, but it seems to be on solid ground at the moment. Having received substantial help with his campaign from the SpaceX founder, the president-elect wasted no time showing his appreciation by appointing Musk in charge of curbing government spending. Now, Trump has inadvertently let the world know just how far Musk has entered his inner circle. On his December 27 Truth Social feed, he posted an invite that seemed more appropriate for a DM than for a public forum. "Where are you? When are you coming to the 'Center of the Universe,' Mar-a-Lago," he wrote. "Bill Gates asked to come, tonight. We miss you and x! New Year's Eve is going to be AMAZING!!! DJT." True, the message didn't mention Musk by name, but the "x" was a solid clue as to whom he meant.

As of this posting, we don't know whether Musk responded. He's been rather busy of late promoting the fast-tracking of H-1B visas, which would allow more skilled engineers from India and elsewhere to legally work for U.S. tech companies. Some of Trump's staunch supporters say this goes against their goal of curbing immigration and prioritizing hires to American citizens. This topic is also the source of a brutal feud between Musk and conservative journalist Laura Loomer. It's a pretty safe bet Loomer won't get a similar invite to the Trump NYE bash.

Naturally, Donald Trump watchers will be scanning coverage of the Mar-a-Lago New Year's celebration for any glimpse of a certain Tesla billionaire. (We're personally hoping Elon Musk will be wearing sparkly "2025" novelty eyeglasses.) But it should be more interesting to see whether Trump invites Musk to other big events once he takes office. The January 20 inauguration is a no-brainer, of course. But will Musk get a seat at White House state dinners? Will he be assigned to the grill on July 4? Will he be playing the identify-the-chocolate-in-the-diaper game at Tiffany Trump's baby shower? It may depend on how far he's willing to go to stay in Trump's good graces. Already, there are signs that the "President Musk" jokes are getting under Trump's skin, as pundits suggest his influence is stretching farther than anyone expected.

Trump himself felt obligated to quash the rumors during a speech to young conservatives, declaring, "No, he's not going to be president, that I can tell you." (via NBC News) "And I'm safe. You know why he can't be? He wasn't born in this country." Musk also addressed the issue back in October 2024, per India Times, explaining that despite having an American grandfather, he was still disqualified from the office because he was born in Africa. "But I actually don't want to be president," he went on. "I want to build rockets and cars." If he keeps to that focus and manages to trim government spending in the bargain, Musk should be safely ensconced on the Trump party list.