-Analysis-
PARIS – How much importance should we give to what Donald Trump Jr. shares on social media? When the eldest son of the U.S. president-elect shares a post of Volodymyr Zelensky with the caption: “You’re 38 days from losing your allowance” … apart from the vulgarity, should we draw any conclusions about his father’s Ukrainian policy?
Another question: what is the significance of Elon Musk’s presence alongside Donald Trump during a phone call between the newly elected president and the Ukrainian president? What political conclusion should be drawn from this?
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The same applies to Musk’s presence in the first photo of the Trump family after the victory: the multi-billionaire CEO of Tesla, SpaceX, and X/Twitter was the only face in the snapshot without a family connection to the president-elect. Again, what should we conclude about the place and influence of the libertarian entrepreneur?
These questions remain unanswered for now, but the outlines and directions of the upcoming administration are emerging with the first appointments.
Appointments and actions
The first observation is that Trump is moving faster than during his 2016 victory, which seemed to surprise him. He has already appointed his chief of staff, the key figure of the White House, the loyal political consultant Susie Wiles, who has never left his side.
Trump wants to show Americans that he’s fulfilling his promises, especially on the most divisive issues.
Next, he named two figures known for their hardline stance on immigration. Tom Homan, who had already worked with Trump during his first term, will be in charge of deporting millions of undocumented immigrants, a campaign promise of the Republican candidate. And Stephen Miller, the architect of this tough immigration policy, has been appointed to the White House as Susie Wiles’ number two.
These early choices indicate that Trump wants to show Americans that he’s acting quickly fulfilling his promises, especially on the most divisive issues.
Hawks on China
The U.S. press is also reporting the names of Mario Rubio and Mike Waltz, two men who voted against aid to Ukraine in Congress and are ‘hawks’ on China, for key positions in international affairs, respectively as Secretary of State and National Security Advisor at the White House.
As for Elon Musk’s future role, it is the first question on everyone’s mind. Musk played a crucial role in the campaign: he spent 8 million, used his 200 million followers on X, and, in effect, put the platform at Trump’s service, also bringing his entrepreneurial prestige.
His strength lies in keeping his promises
Trump said during the campaign that Musk would act as a sort of state efficiency monitor, aiming to slim down government. It is a topic that Musk talks about often. For example, he claimed that since the creation of the Department of Education, the U.S. has regressed globally; ‘not a good value for money,’ he commented.
But what about the potential conflicts of interest, given the scope of Musk’s businesses, including his significant Tesla investment in China, where Trump wants to penalize the economy? No answers for now.
Perhaps the hubris of victory plays a role in this phase. But Trump also appears determined to make clear that he will follow through with his ideological agenda. His strength lies in keeping his promises – the cost will be calculated later.
