Trump is expected to keep Musk close after the billionaire leaves his government job.
The president sees him as a shield against criticism.
But a small dot on the map reveals how the friendship can ruin it for him.
Quick versionA political shift in Escambia County, Florida, where Democrats won for the first time in decades, points to potential risks for Trump if he continues to work with the controversial Musk.
Musk's time as a "special government official" will end at the end of May/June.
Federal law means that a person can only hold such a position for 130 days.
But Donald Trump intends to continue to keep the billionaire close to him when he no longer heads the White House's unofficial "efficiency department" Doge, according to sources to The New York Times.
Trump is said to genuinely like Musk. Photo: Matt Rourke / AP
Like each other
People close to Trump say that the president genuinely likes Musk, but that he has already signaled to his ministers that the billionaire will soon disappear back to his companies.
At a cabinet meeting on March 24, Trump said that time is running out to get cuts in each department implemented, The New York Times writes.
Despite the massive criticism directed at the billionaire for his aggressive and sometimes clumsy way of dealing with the "slaughter of the state apparatus", Trump still sees more advantages than disadvantages with his efforts.
Musk acts as a "heat shield" for the president who wants to avoid criticism at all costs, the newspaper writes.
Elon Musk in a cheese hat in Wisconsin. Photo: Jeffrey Phelps / AP
Took the fight in a cheese hat
One example was the election for the Wisconsin Supreme Court earlier this week.
Musk, in a cheese hat, campaigned frantically for conservative candidate Brad Schimel and spent an estimated 250 million kronor to get him elected.
This gave Trump the opportunity to stay out of the campaign after internal voter polls consistently showed that liberal candidate Susan Crawford would win.
But another election on the same day shows a possible pitfall for the president if he continues to have the controversial billionaire in his vicinity, writes Politico.
Republicans won the special election for the House of Representatives in Florida's 1st congressional district. But the margin was halved by 2024 in this conservative part of Florida.
Escambia County Photo: Google
A strange dot for Trump
And a dot on the map, Escambia County, where the city of Pensacola is located, changed color from Republican to Democratic.
Last year, the Democratic candidate lost by 14 percentage points.
The area has not voted for a Democratic presidential candidate since 1960 and has chosen Republican candidates even when they have been highly controversial.
Matt Gaetz won the district, despite allegations that he paid underage girls for sex. Photo: Alex Brandon / AP
Like, for example, Congressman Matt Gaetz, who won the district even after allegations that he paid underage girls for sex became public.
Politico states that there is a clear reason for the historic shift. The district has more federal employees than any other of Florida's 27 congressional districts.
Worried about 2026
Among other things, there is a large military presence in Pensacola.
Politico states that the shift was big enough to make Republicans worried about other districts around the country ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. And anger against Musk's attacks is high among federal employees who felt unfairly targeted by the billionaire.
"Musk's disappearance from the scene is good news for Republicans who are on the ballot next year. The question is whether it is too late for those running in districts that can go either way," the site writes.
On the way out, Elon Musk is said to be frustrated that he has not had as much success with Doge as with his companies, sources tell The New York Times. The billionaire is said to have been furious over the verdict that went against him and said that everything is moving forward more slowly than he thought it would.
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