The White House has defined Elon Musk’s new status in the US federal government, with President Donald Trump’s approval.
Musk has been at the center of a controversy since his appointment to a special government job, a few weeks after Trump was inaugurated to succeed his Democratic predecessor Joe Biden.
Musk, the world’s richest man and CEO of Tesla, SpaceX, and social network X (previously Twitter), among other enterprises, has since risen to power within the government, gaining access to secret datasets and demoting staff to reduce spending.
But, what precisely is Musk’s job title?
The White House’s response to so many Americans’ questions has been vague, referring to Musk as a ‘special government employee’.
Regardless of how vague the job description is, it does come with certain benefits. If you’re thinking, “What more privileges could Elon Musk want?” wait until you read the entire spiel.
According to APNews, as a special government employee, Musk is subject to fewer ethics and financial disclosure requirements than other employees. Trump has also offered Musk office space in the White House complex to manage a team of individuals at the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a temporary organization overseen by Musk that was established without congressional approval.
Trump recently addressed worries about Musk’s conflicts of interest, saying: “Elon can’t do and won’t do anything without our approval.
“Where we think there’s a conflict or there’s a problem, we won’t let him go near it, but he has some very good ideas,” he added.
Some saw Musk’s intimate involvement in White House matters as a ‘reward’ for his efforts during Trump’s campaign.
The internet mogul backed Trump over Democratic candidate Kamala Harris, investing over $250 million through America PAC (via APNews). This is a super political action committee, a collaboration of firms supporting Trump created by Musk, with activities such as door-to-door canvassing and online advertising.
Meanwhile, the public has expressed concern about the decision, with some Reddit users pointing out the Republican double standard in appointing benefactor George Soros to a similar job.
“This would have gone over really well with conservatives had Biden done this,” one person wrote, while another noted: “lol imagine if Joe Biden had hired George Soros to be a ‘special government employee.’”
Finally, a third person highlighted an eerie similarity between the language used to describe Musk’s new gig at the White House and that of Russian President Vladimir Putin when announcing the invasion of Ukraine in his infamous February 2022 speech.
“Reminds me of someone calling something a ‘special military operation,’” the Redditor noted, with another person agreeing: “Exactly what I clicked on here to say, absolutely crazy.”
