Tesla and X CEO Elon Musk reportedly joined a call between Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky this week, offering a glimpse at what kind of influence the tech billionaire could have in the second Trump administration.
Sources confirmed the news with both The New York Times and Axios, with one telling the Times that Trump handed the phone to Musk during the call.
A spokesperson for Trump’s campaign did not immediately return requests for comment on the reports.
It’s unclear whether the three men discussed the possibility of Trump altering U.S. policy toward Ukraine in its war with Russia, but a source told Axios that the call “didn’t leave Zelensky with a feeling of despair.”
Musk, who increasingly appeared by Trump’s side in the final weeks of his campaign, reportedly said on the call that he would continue to support Ukraine with his Starlink satellites, enabling communications in places where Russian attacks have damaged internet and communication networks.
But in the past, Musk has also mocked Zelensky’s requests for aid from the U.S. and at times refused to activate Starlink in certain areas.
Trump has also expressed admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin, and according to reports he’s refused to address, spoke with him several times after leaving the White House four years ago.
Musk, who injected more than $130 million into Trump’s campaign, is expected to have some sort of role in his second administration. Trump spoke about him at length during his victory speech this week, calling him a “super genius,” and Musk said during a speech last month that under President Trump, he’d conduct a review of federal agencies and make at least $2 trillion in cuts to government spending.
