Elon Musk, the new face of MAGA over Donald Trump?

What’s New

Tech billionaire Elon Musk has been branded the de-facto leader of the MAGA Republican Party by critics over what they see as his apparent influence over President-elect Donald Trump amid spending bill negotiations.

One expert told Newsweek that “Republican power appears to lie with Musk,” after the mogul helped scrap bipartisan spending legislation that would have prevented a looming government shutdown. Jonah Goldberg, editor-in-chief of conservative online magazine The Dispatch, said Musk’s role in sinking a continuing resolution bill marked the first time Trump has been “out MAGA’d” by someone else.

Newsweek has contacted Trump’s transition team and Musk’s press office for comment via email outside regular working hours.

Why It Matters

Musk’s power within MAGA circles has been rising in recent months. He spent around $250 million on Trump’s 2024 election campaign and is set to join the next administration in the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

A number of Democrats have criticized what they see as the power Musk now wields amid a scramble to pass a spending bill before the end of Friday to prevent a government shutdown. A Trump-backed second bill was voted down by the House on Thursday.

What to Know

Several Democratic figures said Musk is the real “president” after Trump appeared to follow his lead in denouncing the original bipartisan continuing resolution.

Musk posted on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, which he owns, urging lawmakers to reject the bill and suggesting that anyone who supported it should be voted out of office.

Trump soon issued a similar objection, calling for a rise in the debt limit to be added and warning that any Republican who backs the bill should face a primary challenge.

Musk continued to post dozens of messages condemning the original spending plan, seemingly dooming its chances of passage and increasing the likelihood of a government shutdown.

After the bill was torpedoed, Goldberg, who is also a Los Angeles Times opinion columnist, told CNN: “This is the first time that Donald Trump has been out populist, out MAGA’d by somebody else.

“Musk grabbed the spotlight on social media. He drove the agenda with Trump’s base in a way that has never happened before.

“Marjorie Taylor Greene couldn’t do that. Matt Gaetz couldn’t do that. None of them could do that. All of their power derived from Trump. Even Tucker [Carlson] couldn’t do that,” Goldberg added. “This is the first time somebody said, ‘Shine the spotlight on me, I’m driving the agenda,’ and it worked. I can’t imagine Trump is going to love that.”

Karoline Leavitt, Trump’s incoming White House press secretary, rejected the idea that Musk essentially now controls the GOP.

“As soon as President Trump released his official stance on the CR [continuing resolution], Republicans on Capitol Hill echoed his point of view,” she told Business Insider. “President Trump is the leader of the Republican Party. Full stop.”

Trump denied that Musk influenced his objection to the bill, saying the pair did not discuss it before Musk posted his objections on X.

“I told him that if he agrees with me, he could put out a statement,” Trump told NBC News. “He’s looking at things from a cost standpoint.”

A second bill, hastily put together by House Speaker Mike Johnson and other congressional leaders, was voted down in a 174-235-1 vote in the House on Thursday, with 38 Republicans joining nearly every Democrat in rejecting the deal.

Ahead of the vote, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told reporters at the Capitol: “The Musk-Johnson proposal is not serious. It’s laughable. Extreme MAGA Republicans are driving us to a government shutdown.”

Musk dismissed the remarks and blamed Democrats for the bill’s failure.

“A super fair & simple bill was put to a vote and only 2 Democrats in Congress were in favor. Therefore, responsibility for the shutdown rests squarely on the shoulders of Jeffries,” Musk posted.

In another sign of Musk’s growing influence, multiple GOP lawmakers have pushed a far-fetched idea that Musk could replace Mike Johnson as the next House speaker.

There is nothing in the Constitution that says the role must be filled by a member of Congress or someone born in the U.S. Musk was born in South Africa and acquired U.S. citizenship in 2002.

A Quinnipiac poll released Wednesday showed that a large majority of Republicans—81 percent—support Musk playing a prominent role in the Trump administration.

What People Are Saying

Mark Shanahan, associate professor of political engagement at the U.K.’s University of Surrey, told Newsweek: “Elon Musk holds no governmental title. He has been elected to nothing and currently has no formal role in the GOP. But at the moment, he appears to be the most powerful voice in U.S. politics, having used his X platform to shout down House Republicans who were set to agree to a government funding bill just a couple of days ago.

“What’s fascinating is that Musk took the lead in opposing Speaker Mike Johnson’s plans before Donald Trump, rather belatedly, reached the same page. At this moment, Republican power appears to lie with Musk. Trump cannot abide any rivals for public attention—and the very last thing he’ll tolerate is one with real political power. So, while ‘Speaker Musk’ may have a pleasing ring for some House Republicans, it won’t happen while Trump remains the leading light of the GOP. Their alliance of convenience may not last long past January 20.”

The House Judiciary Democrats account posted on X: “The fact that Trump’s team felt the need to respond to the claim that Elon Musk is the new leader of the GOP is telling. The rift between Trump and the First Buddy has started.”

Fox News Senior White House correspondent Peter Doocy on Thursday: “Elon Musk [is] the center of the universe on Capitol Hill in a way that nobody has ever seen. I get that every Christmas we have these government shutdown fights, and usually, they just complain about it and then vote for it anyway. But there has never been an unelected official like Elon Musk at the center of it like this.”

Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) told CNN: “The Republicans can’t come together because they can’t stick to the deal they originally negotiated. This is on them, and it really is a reminder of who now runs the Republican Party—and it’s Musk.”

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on X: “Elon Musk ordered his puppet President-elect and House Republicans to break the bipartisan agreement reached to keep the government open. House Republicans are abdicating their responsibility to the American people and siding with billionaires and special interests.”

Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky (R-KY) posted on X: “The Speaker of the House need not be a member of Congress… Nothing would disrupt the swamp more than electing Elon Musk.”

What’s Next

If no spending bill agreement is reached by the end of Friday, the government will shut down starting Saturday.