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Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk gestures as he steps on stage during a rally for former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at Madison Square Garden in New York, October 27, 2024. US President-elect Donald Trump on November 12, 2024, said Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk will lead a so-called Department of Government Efficiency alongside US entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.  Angela Weiss, AFP 

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Agence France-Presse

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1731464886690AFP__20241113__36MC733__v1__HighRes__FilesUsPoliticsAppointmentEfficiency.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left"><span id="isPasted" style="color:rgb(51, 51, 51);letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:pre-wrap;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;display:inline !important;float:none">Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk gestures as he steps on stage during a rally for former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at Madison Square Garden in New York, October 27, 2024. US President-elect Donald Trump on November 12, 2024, said Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk will lead a so-called Department of Government Efficiency alongside US entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy. <em> Angela Weiss, AFP </em></span><em>  </em></span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><p style="-webkit- text-size-adjust:100%;box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 12px;padding:0px;border:0px;line-height:1.3;letter-spacing:normal;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);orphans:2;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial">Billionaire Elon Musk took a wild gamble backing Donald Trump&#x27;s White House candidacy, but the bet has paid off -- at least for now -- with the US president-elect handing him an outsized role to overhaul the government.</p><p style="-webkit- text-size-adjust:100%;box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 12px;padding:0px;border:0px;line-height:1.3;letter-spacing:normal;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);orphans:2;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial">Musk said before the election that a new &quot;Department of Government Efficiency&quot; would slash $2 trillion from the federal budget -- a big promise echoing his sky-high business ambitions that have made him the world&#x27;s wealthiest person.</p><p style="-webkit- text-size-adjust:100%;box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 12px;padding:0px;border:0px;line-height:1.3;letter-spacing:normal;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);orphans:2;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial">With few details released, questions as to how Musk will lead the agency, including how he will juggle his new role while managing SpaceX, Tesla and his other ventures, including X.</p><p style="-webkit- text-size-adjust:100%;box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 12px;padding:0px;border:0px;line-height:1.3;letter-spacing:normal;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);orphans:2;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial">With Musk&#x27;s businesses all having varying degrees of interactions with US and foreign governments, his new position also raises concerns about conflict of interest.</p><p style="-webkit- text-size-adjust:100%;box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 12px;padding:0px;border:0px;line-height:1.3;letter-spacing:normal;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);orphans:2;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial">In his announcement, Trump said that Musk and another wealthy ally, Vivek Ramaswamy, would co-lead the new initiative and &quot;provide advice and guidance from outside of Government.&quot;</p><p style="-webkit- text-size-adjust:100%;box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 12px;padding:0px;border:0px;line-height:1.3;letter-spacing:normal;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);orphans:2;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial">Endorsing a Republican candidate and helping propel him to victory was a shift towards politics for Musk.</p><p style="-webkit- text-size-adjust:100%;box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 12px;padding:0px;border:0px;line-height:1.3;letter-spacing:normal;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);orphans:2;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial">The 53-year-old South African-born entrepreneur rose to fame as the face of the nascent electric vehicle industry and has frequently expounded on the threats of climate change.</p><p style="-webkit- text-size-adjust:100%;box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 12px;padding:0px;border:0px;line-height:1.3;letter-spacing:normal;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);orphans:2;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial">When Trump pulled the United States out of the Paris Climate Accords in 2017, Musk resigned from two presidential advisory councils in protest.</p><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/world/2024/10/18/musk-stumps-for-trump-in-key-us-swing-state-951">Musk stumps for Trump in key US swing state</a></span></div><div><br/></div><p style="-webkit- text-size-adjust:100%;box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 12px;padding:0px;border:0px;line-height:1.3;letter-spacing:normal;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);orphans:2;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial">Years later, Musk has become Trump&#x27;s most prominent celebrity endorser, leaning fully in to get him and his &quot;Make America Great Again&quot; agenda back in the White House.</p><p style="-webkit- text-size-adjust:100%;box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 12px;padding:0px;border:0px;line-height:1.3;letter-spacing:normal;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);orphans:2;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial">Musk reportedly spent over $100 million to help Trump get elected, a massive sum, though a tiny fraction of his estimated $300 billion fortune.</p><p style="-webkit- text-size-adjust:100%;box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 12px;padding:0px;border:0px;line-height:1.3;letter-spacing:normal;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);orphans:2;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial">He also used his influence on X, where he has more than 200 million followers, to push pro-Trump messages, as well as inflammatory disinformation about illegal immigration and voting.</p><p style="-webkit- text-size-adjust:100%;box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 12px;padding:0px;border:0px;line-height:1.3;letter-spacing:normal;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);orphans:2;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial">However, it remains to be seen how two notoriously egocentric personalities like Musk and Trump will get along in the long term.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION</strong></div><div><br/></div><p style="-webkit- text-size-adjust:100%;box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 12px;padding:0px;border:0px;line-height:1.3;letter-spacing:normal;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);orphans:2;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial">Born in Pretoria on June 28, 1971, to an engineer father and a Canadian-born model mother, Musk left South Africa in his late teens to attend Queen&#x27;s University in Ontario.</p><p style="-webkit- text-size-adjust:100%;box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 12px;padding:0px;border:0px;line-height:1.3;letter-spacing:normal;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);orphans:2;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial">He transferred to the University of Pennsylvania after two years and earned bachelor&#x27;s degrees in physics and business.</p><p style="-webkit- text-size-adjust:100%;box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 12px;padding:0px;border:0px;line-height:1.3;letter-spacing:normal;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);orphans:2;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial">After graduating from the Ivy League school, Musk abandoned plans to study at Stanford University in California.</p><p style="-webkit- text-size-adjust:100%;box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 12px;padding:0px;border:0px;line-height:1.3;letter-spacing:normal;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);orphans:2;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial">He instead dropped out and started Zip2, a company that made online publishing software for the media industry.</p><p style="-webkit- text-size-adjust:100%;box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 12px;padding:0px;border:0px;line-height:1.3;letter-spacing:normal;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);orphans:2;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial">During the 2024 campaign -- during which illegal immigration was once again Trump&#x27;s key issue -- reports resurfaced that Musk had likely violated his visa when he left Stanford.</p><p style="-webkit- text-size-adjust:100%;box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 12px;padding:0px;border:0px;line-height:1.3;letter-spacing:normal;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);orphans:2;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial">Musk banked his first millions before the age of 30 when he sold Zip2 to US computer maker Compaq for more than $300 million in 1999.</p><p style="-webkit- text-size-adjust:100%;box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 12px;padding:0px;border:0px;line-height:1.3;letter-spacing:normal;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);orphans:2;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial">Musk&#x27;s next company, X.com, eventually merged with PayPal, the online payments firm bought by internet auction giant eBay for $1.5 billion in 2002.</p><p style="-webkit- text-size-adjust:100%;box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 12px;padding:0px;border:0px;line-height:1.3;letter-spacing:normal;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);orphans:2;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial">After leaving PayPal, Musk embarked on a series of ever more ambitious ventures.</p><p style="-webkit- text-size-adjust:100%;box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 12px;padding:0px;border:0px;line-height:1.3;letter-spacing:normal;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);orphans:2;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial">He founded SpaceX in 2002 -- now serving as its chief executive officer and chief technology officer -- and became the chairman of electric carmaker Tesla in 2004.</p><p style="-webkit- text-size-adjust:100%;box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 12px;padding:0px;border:0px;line-height:1.3;letter-spacing:normal;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);orphans:2;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial">After some early crashes and near-misses, SpaceX perfected the art of landing booster engines on solid ground and ocean platforms, rendering them reusable -- a major advancement in the field.</p><p style="-webkit- text-size-adjust:100%;box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 12px;padding:0px;border:0px;line-height:1.3;letter-spacing:normal;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);orphans:2;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial">Musk has said he wants to make humans an &quot;interplanetary species&quot; by establishing a colony of people living on Mars.</p><p style="-webkit- text-size-adjust:100%;box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 12px;padding:0px;border:0px;line-height:1.3;letter-spacing:normal;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);orphans:2;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial">To this end, SpaceX is developing a prototype rocket, Starship, which it envisages carrying crew and cargo to the Moon, Mars and beyond.</p><p style="-webkit- text-size-adjust:100%;box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 12px;padding:0px;border:0px;line-height:1.3;letter-spacing:normal;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);orphans:2;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial">The spaceship, the world&#x27;s largest, has already completed several tests, most recently a successful &quot;catch&quot; of a booster.</p><p style="-webkit- text-size-adjust:100%;box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 12px;padding:0px;border:0px;line-height:1.3;letter-spacing:normal;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);orphans:2;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial">Musk, who holds US, Canadian and South African citizenship, has been married and divorced three times: once to the Canadian author Justine Wilson and twice to British actress Talulah Riley. He also dated the artist and singer Grimes. He has had 12 children, one of whom died in infancy.</p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/world/2024/10/31/musk-s-millions-five-ways-the-world-s-richest-man-helps-trump-640">Musk&#x27;s millions: Five ways the world&#x27;s richest man helps Trump</a><br/><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/world/2024/10/27/biden-calls-trump-loser-as-a-man-says-musk-came-to-u-s-illegally-128">Biden calls Trump &#x27;loser as a man,&#x27; says Musk came to U.S. illegally</a><br/><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/2024/11/6/a-listers-fail-to-win-harris-votes-as-trump-lauds-famous-bros-655">A-listers fail to win Harris votes as Trump lauds famous &#x27;bros&#x27;</a></div><div><br/></div><div><br/></div><div><br/></div><div dir="ltr" id="isPasted"><div><div><div data-id="story_page_story_content"><div><div><article><br/></article></div></div></div></div></div></div><div><br/></div>

<p>Donald Trump announced Tuesday that the world's richest man, Elon Musk, will lead a new US "government efficiency" group tasked with cutting federal waste, as the Republican president-elect added a series of seasoned figures and hard-liners to his incoming administration.</p>

Donald Trump announced Tuesday that the world's richest man, Elon Musk, will lead a new US "government efficiency" group tasked with cutting federal waste, as the Republican president-elect added a series of seasoned figures and hard-liners to his incoming administration.

Elon Musk: rocket man takes aim at Washington

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Elon Musk: rocket man takes aim at Washington

Agence France-Presse

Published November 13, 2024 10:36 AM PHT

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Updated November 13, 2024 02:01 PM PHT

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