Will Elon Musk join Donald Trump's new administration?

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Elon Musk's transformation of X, formerly Twitter, into a political machine supporting Donald Trump could see the billionaire rewarded with a spot in the president-elect's new administration.

The SpaceX boss has become Trump's biggest fan and one of his biggest donors during the US election, making X an unofficial campaign tool of the Republican Party.

Musk's influence was such that in his speech to his supporters on election night in the US, after declaring his victory, Trump paid extensive tribute to Musk, calling him a “star” of the Republican Party and a “wonderful” guy.

Musk has tirelessly announced his support for Trump to his hundreds of millions of followers in the run-up to the election, claiming that the future of civilization is at stake in the election.

The Tesla and SpaceX boss has appeared at multiple Trump rallies, pumped millions of dollars into campaign groups supporting the Republican candidate and funded controversial sweepstakes in swing states that required people to register to vote and be eligible to sign a pro-Trump petition.

In addition to thousands of pro-Trump messages, Musk's

Musk's support has been so strong and unrelenting that Trump has suggested giving the tech chief a role in cost-cutting or government efficiency in his new Cabinet – a role Musk had previously called for to help reduce government spending.

Social media's approach to Trump, and specifically — and on other websites for alleged rule violations related to inciting violence at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.

This ban remained in place on Twitter until Musk purchased the platform two years later.

Musk's management of X has been extremely controversial since he took control of the platform in late 2022.

In addition to changing the name, the Tesla and SpaceX boss fired more than half of the platform's staff, disbanded the content moderation team, closed the Trust and Security Council, destroyed the verification system, and reinstated accounts for hundreds of users people who had previously been there were blocked for violating site rules, including the man about to return to the White House.

After previously describing himself as a “moderate Democrat,” Musk said in 2022 that he was moving to vote Republican and has since gradually increased his support for Trump while criticizing the Biden administration.

This has led to the Republican party, which is heavily supported by Musk, taking back the White House.

Now Musk finds himself in a unique position as a powerful ally of the next president, able to influence a major online platform with a single post, a type of power whose value Trump knows, having built his political career through the the reach of social media.