일론 머스크 개객기의 노림수: 트럼프를 등에 엎고 자율주행차 세상 앞당기기+중국 BYD를 조지기; While Trump has promised to put heavy tariffs on China, Tesla relies on its Shanghai factory for a significant percentage of its EV deliveries, and the new levies would hurt the car company’s bottom line. But the tariffs could also obliterate Tesla’s cheaper Chinese EV rivals, like BYD.

 

Elon Trump wins the election

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The world’s richest man is set up to have an incredibly fruitful four years. Elon Musk spent nearly $130 million through his political action committee (PAC) to help elect Donald Trump and other Republicans this election cycle. In return, Trump has promised him a seat at the table.

The 2024 presidential campaign was the most expensive election in history, and no one showed up more than Musk, who formed his America PAC earlier this year and then publicly endorsed the GOP contender after he was shot at a Pennsylvania rally in July.

• With control of X, Musk was able to flood the social site with disinformation about popular Republican talking points like election fraud and immigration.
• The America PAC also funded Democrat impersonation campaigns on Facebook and through texts designed to target voters with messages that might persuade them to vote against Harris, according to 404 Media.

How could Musk cash in?

The biggest Musk win could come from the 47th president giving him unfettered access to regulatory bodies. Both Trump and Musk said during campaign stops that the tech mogul would be a government cost cutter in the second Trump administration. Without mentioning which specific departments he would trim funding for, Musk has promised he would cut $2 trillion from the federal budget.

Musk isn’t shy about advocating for his interests in Washington. He has said point blank that he would push to get autonomous vehicles on the road, a technology Tesla has invested heavily in. SpaceX already has government contracts worth more than $15 billion collectively, but Musk has complained a lot online about the Federal Aviation Administration’s limits on the company. He also owns X and Neuralink, which have received scrutiny from the FTC and the FDA, respectively.

There may be trouble ahead. While Trump has promised to put heavy tariffs on China, Tesla relies on its Shanghai factory for a significant percentage of its EV deliveries, and the new levies would hurt the car company’s bottom line. But the tariffs could also obliterate Tesla’s cheaper Chinese EV rivals, like BYD.—MM