Duel for power

How Elon Musk is stealing the presidency from Trump

Stealing more and more of Donald Trump's thunder: Elon Musk.(Bild: APA/Getty Images via AFP/GETTY IMAGES/Brandon Bell)

They make great friends, but tech billionaire Elon Musk and US President-elect Donald Trump are heading for a confrontation. The background to this is Musk's increased influence on US politics. Musk almost caused a shutdown in the USA with a tweet. Criticism is already coming from the Republicans themselves, with the Democrats calling him "President Musk". A problem for a man of power like Trump.

It was a moment that turned the political dynamic in the USA on its head. Elon Musk, tech billionaire, boss and founder of Tesla and SpaceX and soon to be head of the new "Department of Government Efficiency" played a central role in the temporary rejection of a budget bill in the US Congress and briefly plunged the country into a political crisis.