Musk joins Trump and family for Thanksgiving at Mar-a-Lago
By Kit Maher, CNN
(CNN) — Tesla CEO Elon Musk had a seat at the family table for Thanksgiving dinner at Mar-a-Lago, joining President-elect Donald Trump, Melania Trump and their 18-year-old son Barron, in the latest indicator of Trump’s growing bond with the world’s richest man.
Musk was seated right next to Trump in a video posted by Michael Solakiewicz, which shows the pair enjoying a campaign rally classic, “Y-M-C-A.”
Trump slapped his hand on the table and gave Musk’s shoulder a friendly pat, and Musk pumped both fists in the air. Musk, who owns the social media platform X, wore a black blazer and a t-shirt with an “X” emblazoned on it. Trump smiled, turning to Barron and Melania, as other dinner guests stood around taking photos and clapping along.
Yaakov Safar, who took the video, is a French jewelry designer who was invited to Mar-a-Lago as a guest on Thanksgiving. He said the event had “an absolutely extraordinary atmosphere.”
“Trump and Elon walked around the room, stopped at each table, and spoke to all the guests,” Safar told CNN. “He was interested in each one, and the rest of the time he spoke with Barron and Elon in great discussions on a lot of subjects, and the joy was enormous.”
Musk reposted another TikTok of him at the Thanksgiving celebration chatting with Trump ally Sylvester Stallone, as the President-elect greeted people at a table nearby.
“I was telling @TheSlyStallone that I just watched Demolition Man again and how well it predicted the crazy woke future 30 years ago!,” Musk posted on X.
In the incoming Trump administration, Musk has been selected to run the newly created “Department of Government Efficiency,” or DOGE, along with former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. The choice in particular of Musk — who leads companies with existing, lucrative government contracts — raised immediate questions about potential conflicts of interest.
During the presidential transition, Musk has spent significant time at Trump’s Florida club, something even Trump joked about at a gala earlier this month.
“He likes this place. I can’t get him out of here. He just likes this place,” Trump said at the America First Policy Institute Gala at Mar-a-Lago. Musk sat at a table directly to the right of the podium.
Musk has been in the room when multiple world leaders have phoned Trump, and he has weighed in on staffing decisions, with the SpaceX and Tesla CEO even making clear his preference for certain roles.
Musk was with Trump at Mar-a-Lago when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called to congratulate the president-elect the day after the election, according to a source briefed on the call. Trump put the call on speaker, and Zelensky thanked Musk for his help providing communications to Ukraine through the billionaire’s Starlink internet service.
Musk is not the only social media owner spending face time with Trump. Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg was at Mar-a-Lago on Wednesday, CNN previously reported.
But Musk has gained an almost familial standing. On the day after the election, Musk was seen in a Trump family photo at Mar-a-Lago posted by Trump’s granddaughter Kai. Posting another picture with Musk, Kai said he had achieved “uncle status.”
Trump has also spent time on Musk’s turf, attending the SpaceX Starship rocket test launch in Texas last week.
CNN’s Hadas Gold, Kia Fatahi and Kaitlan Collins contributed reporting.
This story has been update with additional reporting.
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