What Trump's 'first buddy' Musk means for his foreign policy

Elon Musk has gained relevance in the world of politics ever since US President-elect Donald Trump elevated his position to his new Cabinet. Musk has been given the charge of Department of Government Efficiency or ‘DOGE’ as it’s popularly known.

Trump’s ’new star’, Musk, appears to be taking greater roles in the government. Since the November 5 elections, the Tesla CEO has actively engaged with foreign leaders directly which is a sign that he might be playing a role in shaping the Republican leader’s foreign policy.

Musk meets Argentina’s Prez

Argentinian President Javier Milei became the first foreign leader to have met Trump since he was declared the winner of the November 5 elections.

Although, Trump was not the only person he interacted with. Melei reportedly met the owner of X too. At a gala dinner hosted at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, Melei acknowledged Musk by saying, “I would like to thank the great Elon Musk for the wonderful job he has been doing to save humanity.”

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Musk and Melei are already good friends and have met several times in the past. Both have heaped praises for each other which is apparent from the pictures shared by Melei earlier.

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Musk meets Iran’s UN ambassador

A day before he was made the head of the ‘DOGE’ ministry, Musk reportedly met Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations Amir Saeid Iravani.

According to a report by The New York Times, the discussions between Musk and Iravani revolved around mitigating tensions between the US and Iran. An Iranian official said that the meeting was requested by Musk while the Iranian ambassador chose the place.

Musk hops on Trump’s official calls

The Tesla CEO jumped in a call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy when the latter dialled the president-elect after his landslide victory.

According to Axios, neither Trump nor Zelenskyy initially disclosed that Musk was also connected in the call.

A source told NBC that Musk was not “directly on the call.”

“President Trump was likely near Musk and at some point handed him the phone. That’s not the same as being directly on the call. President Zelensky thanked Musk for the Starlink. They spoke briefly,” the source said.

Musk’s not-so-friendly relations with Starmer

While UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is trying to maintain a cordial relationship with Trump, he has had a bad experience with Musk. The two have engaged in a war word in the past.

Earlier this year, Musk irked Starmer by saying that a “civil war is inevitable” in Britain after the country saw violent unrest in August.