Donald Trump has formed a powerful alliance with the wealthiest man in the world, but an analyst explained why the two men are unlikely to split anytime soon.
The president-elect has been palling around with Tesla CEO Elon Musk after the tech mogul poured hundreds of millions of dollars into his election win, and while many observers are waiting for Trump to eject his so-called co-president from his orbit, CNN's Stephen Collinson said he can't really afford to quit him.
"He's putting himself in iconic situations, you know, he's standing there yesterday with his chin in the air, watching this rocket go up almost like there was some credit to accrue to him for the Elon Musk [achievement], and I guess he was basking in reflected glory because Musk is now part of his inner circle," Collinson said. "I think there's been a lot of talk about, okay, this is all going to blow up, right – they can't stick together."
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The South Africa-born tech mogul has been described as a shadow president, since he's prohibited from running himself, and has been advising Trump closely since the election and sticking by his side at Mar-a-Lago, and on Tuesday the pair watched Musk's SpaceX launch its giant Starship rocket to space from Texas.
"There's a lot for them at stake," Collinson said. "If they stay together, Musk gets more power. He's inside the middle of the government. Trump is hanging around with the richest man in the world. He is a force multiplier in terms of power. He's a massive non-state actor, and I'm sure when Trump was watching that rocket go up, not only was he impressed, but he had to be thinking about Musk's power."
"Musk is not just a great ally to have," Collinson added, "he would be a terrible enemy if if they did break up."