This is how it is domestically; the real situation hasn't been understood at all, yet a bunch of people jump out and eloquently speak as if they know everything.
Basic situation:
According to U.S. law, if you take a government position, you need to avoid conflicts of interest. For example, if you are the CEO of an arms company, can you be appointed as Secretary of Defense? How would your competitors survive?
So before Trump became president, he announced that he would transfer all of his business assets to a trust (Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust), managed by his eldest son Donald Trump Jr. and his second son Eric Trump, with Allen Weisselberg, the CFO of the Trump Organization, serving as the trustee.
Then, on January 19, 2017, Trump officially resigned from all positions in the Trump Organization and its more than 400 affiliated entities, with the relevant documents submitted by his legal team.
Without completing all these procedures, he cannot become president.
The same goes for Musk; if he really goes to the Trump administration to 'take office', what happens to Tesla, SpaceX, X (Twitter) under his control? He cannot give up control of the industrial empire he has created over decades.
What about the officials on Trump's side? Generally divided into two categories.
One type is those nominated by the president but confirmed by the Senate; these are 'national ministers', such as the Secretary of Defense and the Attorney General. On one hand, the president selects people who share similar ideologies, but on the other hand, the Senate ensures this person's competence and loyalty to the country, rather than just to the president.
Another category is those appointed or dismissed by the president according to his needs, which do not require Congressional approval; these are considered 'household ministers', such as the White House Chief of Staff, the President's Press Secretary, the President's Legal Advisor, etc.
So what kind of position can Musk take? None, because he has a conflict of interest. He can only participate as a special government employee.
On February 3, 2025, the White House officially confirmed that Musk was appointed as a 'special government employee'. According to the U.S. Department of Justice's definition, an SGE is a temporary employee who works for the government no more than 130 days within a 365-day period, usually providing professional support as an expert or consultant.
This identity allows Musk to participate in government work without publicly disclosing his financial situation while continuing to manage his business empire (such as Tesla, SpaceX, and X).
So according to the 130-day limit, he originally had to end his term by the end of May. This was determined when he was appointed on February 3; I don’t understand why a bunch of people are now treating this as some big news.
What other opinions are there? You are free to discuss in the comments.
