The New York Times’ Maggie Haberman explained why she believes President-elect Donald Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk’s working relationship may actually last for some time yet to come.
Trump has tapped Musk to run a non-official government department that will seek to slash public spending. Reports have surfaced about Trump allies being unhappy with Musk’s presence at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago base, attendance of transition meetings and what appears to be his growing influence on the returning POTUS.
But Haberman said on CNN Wednesday that Trump and Musk are “in good standing” right now and that Trump is not showing any public signs of becoming fed up with Musk.
Trump “never likes anybody around for too long” and “one of the things that people around him have come to realize over time is that scarcity is a commodity for them if they want to have longevity with him,” noted Haberman.
Democracy In The Balance
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But Trump has a “huge fascination with wealth,” “equates wealth with intelligence” and “so I actually think this relationship could last for quite some time,” she added.
“When relationships start to become problematic in Trump’s mind is usually when the person starts attracting negative headlines that bounce off on Trump,” said Haberman. “That’s not happening right now.”
Watch Haberman’s commentary here: