From Trump to Musk: Is America Now the Playground of Billionaire Presidents?
As Trump serves a second term, Elon Musk emerges as the GOP’s billionaire contender for 2028.
Way back in time, in depths of American history, a reasonably well known TV game show host called Donald J. Trump, with no elected political experience, decided to stand for president of the United States. It was a publicity stunt to improve his image.
Much to his surprise, he won.
The year was 2016, although for many, that seems lifetime ago. Dozens of court cases and convictions later, the same man was elected again in 2024 to serve a second non-consecutive term. The only person to previously achieve that feat, was Grover Cleveland, the 22nd and 24th president, back in the late 1800s.
Trump is ageing, both physically and mentally and will be in his early eighties by the end of his term. Having served two terms, he is not permitted to stand again in 2028. Mind you, the way this man appears to be ignoring the Constitution, US laws and the courts, who’s to say that he won’t have changed that rule by then? “Elections? Who needs elections?” (See: Turkish election arrests)
Trump is a self-declared dollar billionaire. According to Forbes Trump’s net worth as he took office in January 2025, was around $6.5bn. Trump, needless to say, calls that an underestimate. He always has to be better than people say.
Becoming president of the United States is an expensive business. The 2024 presidential election is said to have cost in the region of $5.5 billion, the second most expensive in history. Trump raised his billions for election costs, by begging from his supporters. How much of his own money was spent, if any, is unknown. Also unknown, is what happened to any balance left over from fund raised at the end of the election.
Has the United States arrived at the point, where only the supper rich, with net assets in the billions, are able to stand for president? It looks that way to me.
Cue the 2028 presidential election, and the question of who will stand for the Republicans. There isn’t an obvious candidate from the Democrats, but there is one from the right who looks to be in the frame.
That person is not J.D. Vance, the current VP, but multi-billionaire Elon Musk. Expect Vance to be swept aside.
When Trump arrived in the Oval Office at the start of 2017, his political experience was minimal. Musk, on the other hand, will have gained four years of accumulated knowledge working alongside the current administration. Again, like the current president, he could stand as a well known person, and a somewhat more successful business magnate, having held no previous elected office. Musk in the White House.
Elon Musk is worth in the region of $340bn according to Forbes and said to be the richest individual in the world. That figure varies day to day and depends on things such as the value of Tesla stock, where Musk is the majority shareholder.
Money is no object to Musk, who could finance 100% of his presidential campaign from pocket change, without the need to appeal to the great American public for financial support. With Musk being so well-off, it is questionable that individual Americans would see the need to send $50, to support the richest man in the world.
In the first two and a half months of the second Trump reign, Elon Musk has gathered almost as many headlines at the president. Eventually, this will annoy Trump so much, that he will fall out with Musk. Although, it is possible that the two might continue side by side with a longer view to the future incumbent of the Oval Office. An office apparently now reserved for billionaires only.
Musk has already, publicly and dramatically, taken a chainsaw to government through his un-official position as head of an un-official department nicknamed DOGE.
Trump has the chainsaw in his mind, has he cuts through laws and ignores the courts. Trump and Musk, are two of a kind.
Whether, between them, the chainsaw is taken to democracy itself, we will have to wait and see. The first sub-100 days of the second Trump presidency, with the unelected Musk at his side, gives little confidence that democracy will survive long-term in the United States.
Will the 2028 election see a landslide victory for the richest person in the world, and the words President Musk be real, rather than as now, used in jest?
Watch this space, America.