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The billionaire activist investor who final yr took on Disney in a failed proxy combat mentioned he’s the rationale Elon Musk helped Donald Trump clench the presidential election.
Months earlier than the Tesla CEO threw his help behind the now president-elect, Nelson Peltz, the founding companion and CEO of Trian Companions, and his son, Diesel, introduced the 2 collectively for a late spring breakfast, Peltz mentioned throughout CNBC’s Delivering Alpha Convention on Wednesday.
“Elon was on the home for a weekend, and we had a breakfast and invited Donald for breakfast, and so they kind of reunited once more,” Peltz mentioned through the onstage interview. “I used to be a matchmaker.”
Apparently the pair clicked, as Musk would quickly change into one of many president’s greatest supporters, each at rallies and thru donations.
Musk formally endorsed Trump following an assassination try on the Republican throughout a marketing campaign rally in July. He later contributed about $200 million to Trump’s marketing campaign by way of his tremendous PAC, the AP reported.
Peltz, for his half, is glad the Trump-Musk partnership got here to fruition, including that the president-elect’s victory trusted Musk.
“I don’t know that Donald would have had this sweeping victory with out Elon. Elon was in Pennsylvania, I believed he was going to be Amish, he was there full time,” Peltz mentioned, in accordance with The Hollywood Reporter.
On Tuesday, Trump named Musk co-leader of a brand new Division of Authorities Effectivity (DOGE), a consulting-type operation, meant to drastically reduce federal spending to economize.
But, whereas Musk has implied he received’t be part of the incoming administration full-time, he’s reportedly spending a variety of time at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, the place he has sat in on job interviews, and almost each assembly with Trump, the New York Instances reported. The Wall Road Journal dubbed it “Musk-a-Lago.” He has even joined cellphone calls with international leaders, together with Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky and Turkey president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in accordance with the outlet.
“I’m blissful to be first buddy!” he wrote in reply to a person’s submit on X on Monday.
Whereas Trump appears to be embracing Musk as a member of the crew, even taking footage with the Trump household, exterior consultants have warned that the connection might not final ceaselessly. And even Trump has joked about their potential fallout.
“Elon received’t go house. I can’t do away with him—no less than till I don’t like him,” Trump advised Republican leaders Wednesday.