Republican Power Players Suspect Trump Is Going to Kick Musk to the Curb

Is Musk's time running out?

Tick Tock

Elon Musk and Donald Trump grew incredibly chummy toward the end of the election, but some influential Republicans think the supercharged pair's affection for one another is bound to fizzle out. 

One lobbyist told The Hill that some people close to Trump find Musk a "little big for his britches," while another Trump associate complained to NBC News that Musk is "behaving as if he's a co-president and making sure everyone knows it."

At the core of the relationship is a well-established reality: neither man can stand not being in charge, making the allyship fundamentally volatile.

"Trump is not going to have another alpha," one source close to Trumpworld told The Hill. "I think Trump is going to tire of him."

The Joker

Even Trump has already seemed to publicly bristle at Musk's overbearing presence. Just this week, the New York Times reported that Musk has become a Mar-a-Lago mainstay, receiving an identical standing ovation to Trump after sauntering into the dining room.

In addition to sharing meals with Trump, Musk also golfed with the former "Apprentice" host, and he's also been attending most of Trump's political meetings, such as the president-elect's talk with House Republicans on Capitol Hill. 

"Elon won't go home," Trump quipped at that gathering, in a possible sign of things to come. "I can't get rid of him. Until I don't like him."

Trump was nominally kidding around, but his jokes often allude to how he's really feeling — and in any case, Trump tends to pour gasoline on every relationship in his life, so it seems likely it's only a matter of time before Musk faces the same fate. 

You're Fired 

Case in point, many of Trump's closest associates were discharged during his volatile first term. That includes Trump's former chief strategist Steve Bannon, who once enjoyed Musk-level access to the president, but ultimately lasted only seven months in the White House. 

Other high-profile staffers quickly faced Trump's wrath, too. Anthony Scaramucci, for example, lasted just 10 days as Trump's communications director before getting fired, and Trump remains annoyed at the "Mooch," who he's assailed as a "major loser."

So Musk may relish his Mar-a-Lago dinners now, but there's no telling which one might be his last.

More on Elon Musk: America Cringes as Trump Puts Elon Musk in Charge of "DOGE" Department