With Donald Trump, everything is first and foremost family business. When the president-elect appeared on stage in Palm Beach, Florida, to celebrate his victory very early on the morning of Wednesday, November 6, they were all there: His wife, Melania, whom he embraced, his many children and their spouses, whom he thanked. “Eric, Ivanka, Tiffany, Baron, Lara, Jared, Kimberly, Michael, thank you all, what help!” said Trump.
The wheel is turning in the Trump family: Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner, who had considerable influence during his first term, were present but clearly have clearly withdrawn from politics after the assault on the Capitol, in Washington on January 6, 2021. For now, the focus is firmly on his son Eric, whose wife Lara Trump became vice president of the Republican Party in early 2024.
Behind the family, some illustrious strangers appeared. Trump unsuccessfully tried to invite Susie Wiles, the self-effacing woman who led his victorious campaign, to speak. At 67, the grandmother from Florida is one of the candidates for the crucial post of White House chief of staff. “Wiles has earned the trust of Trump, who appreciates that she was willing to help him after he left the White House, and is widely respected by the campaign staff and members of Congress,” wrote Politico on Wednesday. The choice is a delicate one, with Trump having exhausted four chiefs of staff during his chaotic four years as president.
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The president-elect’s choices are eclectic and unpredictable. The game of prognostication, attempted by the American media, is a delicate one. But the figures gravitating around Trump can shed light on his intentions.
The newest member of the family is Elon Musk. He was at Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s Florida residence, on Election Day, but he didn’t appear on the victory stage, which didn’t stop the evening’s victor from delivering the billionaire’s interminable eulogy. The president-elect will probably never be able to thank Joe Biden enough for refusing to invite Musk to a White House electric car summit in the summer of 2021, on the grounds that Tesla’s factories were not unionized, and for claiming, against all truth, that General Motors had invented the electric car. Biden’s cronyism aroused unquenchable hatred, making Musk his primary opponent.
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Musk delighted with his new influence
The multi-entrepreneur is unlikely to be a cabinet minister, but he is expected to play an important role with the 47th US president. He is expected to inherit a “government efficiency commission tasked with conducting a complete financial and performance audit of the entire federal government and making recommendations for drastic reforms,” according to Trump. The aim is to save “trillions of dollars.” Musk has not attempted to hide his delight with his new influence. “America is a nation of builders. Soon, you’ll be free to build,” he posted on X on election night.
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