Tesla CEO and serial tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, along with executives from Lockheed Martin, Johnson & Johnson, Whirlpool and others, attended U.S. President Donald Trump’s meeting on manufacturing Monday morning at the White House. Trump along with his ten senior executives reiterated his stance on producing U.S. jobs by keeping manufacturing in America. Trump told the room of corporate leaders that companies looking to shift manufacturing outside of the U.S. would face a heavy border tax. Conversely, businesses looking to build factories in the United States would face little opposition and see quick approvals. Trump would go on to say that his administration could cut U.S. regulations by 75% or more to encourage American based manufacturing.
Reuters reporter Roberta Rampton shared a photo of Musk seen with other executives attending the meeting at the Roosevelt Room in the White House.
Business leaders gather to meet with @realDonaldTrump in Roosevelt Room. pic.twitter.com/YBQfJbqg6B
— Roberta Rampton (@robertarampton) January 23, 2017
Musk, along with tech executives from Amazon, Google and Apple, met with Trump in December to discuss job creation in the United States. Musk is also an advisory and part of President Trump’s Strategic and Policy Forum, created to give the President perspective from the private sector and help inform his economic agenda, with a focus on job creation and productivity.
It doesn’t come as a surprise that the Tesla and SpaceX chief was part of today’s manufacturing meeting at the White House. Tesla’s massive Nevada-based Gigafactory facility is expected to employ thousands of skilled U.S. workers as it begins to ramp production on battery cells to be used in the company’s line of energy storage systems and electric vehicles. SpaceX continues to redefine the boundaries for commercial space flight as it innovates and builds rockets, and equipment used for space travel, from the company’s Hawthorne, California facility.
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But in my view, it's of critical importance that people like Elon "have the ear" of the president, however much of a bombasitc buffoon he or she is. Elon (and others on the panel) have sufficient influence, backed by extremely strong scientific skills, knowledge, experience AND RESULTS, to put forward their case - and directly to Trump's face.
Hot-headed and impulsive he may be, and a bit of a buffoon to boot, but Trump is no idiot. One thing he does understand is business imperative and practical reality. Trump can also see - like any sensible "normal" person - that the future fate of American industry lies in backing initiatives of the likes of Tesla and Spacex.
Elon (and the other enlightened members of this panel) therefore have a potential influence on Federal policy-making that no Congressional lobbyist could ever hope to attain - regardless of how much they bribe their congressman/woman with back-handers and other "gifts".
What's more, Elon will stand his ground with Trump. He's got a stronger personality, is far more educated (scientifically) and does not tolerate "ass-holes" - whoever they are. He's also richer than Trump, and this is increasing rapidly (good on you, Elon), so when it comes down to who's got the "bigger scrotum", looks like Elon will win.
I think Trump knows, deep down, that the future of American industry is going to be far more reliant of the ethos of the Teslas of this world, and must depart from the Rust-belt philosophy that took it to its knees over the last 25 years.
Very soon, we may see some "surprising" turn-abouts from Trump. The "real" President of the USA for the next four years, may actually turn out to be Elon!
