President-elect Donald Trump has poked fun at Democrat attacks on his ally and major donor Elon Musk's influence over his incoming administration.
Speaking at Turning Point's AmericaFest, the incoming President said amidst a rant about his pledges for his second term: "And we will create the new Department of Government Efficiency, headed by Elon Musk. And no, he's not taking the presidency.
I like having smart people. You know, they're on a new kick. Russia, Russia, Russia, Ukraine, Ukraine, Ukraine. All the different hoaxes. And the new one is President Trump has ceded the presidency to Elon Musk.
"No, no, that's not happening. But Elon's done an amazing job. Isn't it nice to have smart people that we can rely on? Don't we want that? He's done a great job."
Later in the speech, So we want to thank him, but, no, he's not going to be president, that I can tell you. And I'm safe. You know why he can't be. He wasn't born in this country. But the fake news knows that now. He's a great guy, and we want to have him".
Musk has become a key ally of Mr Trump – culminating in him being appointed to head the Department of Government Efficiency.
The tech billionaire is to lead the organisation (DOGE), alongside former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.
The acronym DOGE is Musk’s favourite cryptocurrency and also a popular online meme.
The pair will reportedly 'pave the way' for the new administration to 'dismantle bureaucracy and restructure federal agencies.'
