President Donald Trump, in a recent joint interview with Elon Musk on Fox News, addressed the potential conflict of interest that could arise from Musk's involvement in the administration and his business ventures. Trump emphasized that if such a conflict were to occur, measures would be taken to prevent Musk from engaging in any related activities.
During the interview, Trump cited the example of efforts to eliminate tax credits for electric vehicle purchases, a move that could impact Tesla, of which Musk is the CEO. Musk himself had previously acknowledged that removing subsidies could potentially benefit Tesla.
Trump acknowledged the possibility that Musk might fare better without subsidies, highlighting Musk's confidence in the quality of his products and his ability to compete on a level playing field. Musk, on his part, stated that he had never made any requests to the president.
When asked about how he would handle a conflict of interest, Musk promptly stated that he would recuse himself from any such situations. Trump reiterated that Musk would not be involved in any conflicts of interest, emphasizing the importance of maintaining a clear separation between Musk's government responsibilities and his private business interests.
Trump also made it clear that Musk would not be awarded any new government contracts if conflicts of interest were to arise between his role in the Department of Government Efficiency and his personal business endeavors.
