Trump "transfer president to Musk? ...That won't happen."

Regarding concerns about Tesla CEO Elon Musk's strengthening political influence, Trump stressed that "the lie circulates that he has ceded the presidency to Musk, and that doesn't happen."

Trump said at an event in Phoenix, Arizona that Musk was not taking the presidency, adding, "I like to have a smart person next to me."

He also defended Musk, saying, "I can say that Musk will not be president," adding, "Musk was not born in the United States, so he cannot become president, so I am safe."

Although Musk was born in South Africa, it is legally impossible to elect a U.S. president, Bloomberg News assessed that such comments themselves prove Musk's extraordinary influence.

Recently, U.S. politicians have been arguing over a situation in which Musk, not an elected politician, has grown in political influence to the extent that he even scuttled the budget agreed upon by the leaders of the ruling and opposition parties of Congress.