‘Almost Comical’: Trump Sources Knife Elon Musk Over Distracting Antics In Anonymous Leaks To Politico

Sources in President-elect Donald Trump’s orbit have begun taking the knives out for billionaire supporter Elon Musk in anonymous leaks to Politico bashing his antics around Mar-a-Lago since Trump’s victory.

One of the defining features of the Biden presidency was a lack of knowledgeable sources willing to leak to the press, which was a stark contrast to the first Trump administration. Now it appears the leaks are coming back, if Wednesday’s Politico Playbook is any indication.

At issue is Musk’s omnipresence at the epicenter of the Trump transition, where he was reportedly set to tag along for Trump’s visit with President Joe Biden at the White House.

Politico’s Rachael Bade and Eugene Daniels (with help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross, and Bethany Irvine) say Trumpworkd sources call Musk’s encroachment “almost comical” — “almost”:

ELON BUTTS IN — Later this morning, Trump travels to Washington for the first time since his sweeping presidential victory last week, where he’ll make the customary visit to the White House and huddle with allies on Capitol Hill.

Earlier this week, however, Trump’s inner circle was abuzz that he might have a traveling companion for the trip: not wife MELANIA, who is remaining in Florida, but ELON MUSK — who privately expressed interest in joining Trump for his visit with President JOE BIDEN, to the vexation of some Trump insiders.

…

But the notion of allowing Musk to tag along to the White House, for a hallowed ritual in the peaceful transfer of power, prompted a bewildered reaction inside Trump world: Was that even allowed? What was the protocol for such a thing?

As of last night, it appears the plan might not materialize. After appearing earlier this week on a draft manifest for this morning’s flight to D.C., we couldn’t get a clear answer last night on whether Musk is coming or not.

The bigger picture, however, is how Musk is starting to wear out his welcome with some in Trump’s orbit. After initially making a huge splash with his endorsement, made just moments after the July attempt on Trump’s life, some insiders now say he’s become almost a comical distraction, hanging around Mar-a-Lago, sidling into high-level transition meetings and giving unsolicited feedback on Trump’s personnel decisions.

“Elon is getting a little big for his britches,” one insider tells Playbook.

Musk may or may not be wearing out his welcome around Mar-a-Lago, but that impatience, thus far, does not appear to extend to Trump just yet. Other well-sourced Trumpologists like CNN’s Kaitlan Collins corroborate Politico’s reporting that president-elect is still on board with Musk.

“Sources have described Trump as enamored with Musk,” Collins reported this week, unwelcome news for some.