Unless someone wrote in his name on a ballot, the answer is: No one.

Has he been officially appointed to any office in the upcoming administration? Again, the answer is: No.

Then my next question logically follows: So what the hell is he doing?

Let me explain.

On November 15, 1977, then U.S. President Jimmy Carter publicly welcomed the Shah of Iran and his wife to Washington. Over the next two days, Carter met with the Shah in the White House, where they discussed possible means of further improving already friendly diplomatic relations between their two countries, as well as the Middle East political situation in general.

On Monday of this week, almost exactly 47 years later, Elon Musk — an unelected, unappointed friend of President-elect Donald Trump — secretly met with the Iranian ambassador to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani, for more than an hour, according to two Iranian officials cited by the New York Times. [Tara John, CNN, November 14, 2024.]

CNN reports that it has reached out to Trump’s transition team and to Musk for comment, and that Iran’s mission to the UN has declined to comment. A U.S. official did tell CNN that Biden administration officials at the UN were not notified that the meeting was to take place, and still had not received independent confirmation that it ever happened. [Id.]

Again, my question is: What is Musk doing? As far as has been made public, his future role in the Trump administration is to be as co-head (with Vivek Ramaswamy) of an as-yet-nonexistent “Department of Government Efficiency,” with a stated goal of streamlining government operations.

Not Secretary of State. Not Director of National Intelligence. Not White House Chief of Staff. Basically, a bean-counter . . . though, admittedly, of a very large pile of beans.

So why, I ask, is he seemingly everywhere that Trump is, even taking part in telephone conversations with foreign leaders and officials? Is he also to be some sort of foreign policy adviser? Or is it just Musk being his usual pushy, arrogant, take-charge self?

In short, just what is going on in Trump’s back rooms that we, the American people, have a need — and a right — to know?

Just askin’ . . .

Brendochka
11/16/24