New Delhi:

Elon Musk has been a near-constant presence on the side of US President-elect Donald Trump. It was proven again when Google CEO Sundar Pichai dialed Trump and Musk joined the call, reported The Information. Mr Pichai called Trump to congratulate him on his victory over Kamala Harris in the recently concluded US Presidential Election.

In the past, Musk has alleged biases in Google’s search results, suggesting that upon searching for Trump, news related to Harris surfaced.

Wow https://t.co/9utMxHQCog

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 29, 2024

The Tesla and SpaceX CEO Musk has previously joined telephone calls with world leaders and dispensed advice on personnel choices.

It is because of his close ties with the President-elect, Musk is called the “First Buddy”.

Both have been spotted together at various events including the launch of the SpaceX Starship rocket and the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heavyweight bout on November 16.

Under Trump’s cabinet, Musk will lead the ‘Department of Government Efficiency’ – a position Trump hinted at during his campaign trail. Musk will head the department alongside Indian-American entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy. “Together, these two wonderful Americans will pave the way for my Administration to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies – Essential to the ‘Save America’ Movement,” Trump said in a statement.

Musk even found a mention in Trump’s victory speech and was described as “an amazing guy”.

“We have a new star, a star is born: Elon,” Trump told his supporters. “He’s an amazing guy. We were sitting together tonight. You know, he spent two weeks in Philadelphia, in different parts of Pennsylvania, campaigning.”

The duo spent the election night at Trump’s Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago, keeping a close watch on the results and Trump’s return to the Oval Office after a four-year gap.

Watch: Trump’s Cabinet choices | What are Trump 2.0 priorities? | Worldview

Within a week of being elected the next U.S. President, Donald Trump has wasted no time in choosing his team. What do his top ten cabinet picks say about the next four years in the U.S., and what will they mean for India?

The big messages

Trump is breaking from the past in every way. He is not in Washington for now but at his Florida estate Mar-a-Lago—with his son Don Jr. believed to be vetting the candidates for the next administration.

He will only take over on January 20, 2025, but wants to begin the process early given the long delays in appointments he faced in Trump 1.0- Republicans now control both Houses of Congress. The choices make it clear that loyalty to Mr. Trump comes first, over any concerns of record, past positions, controversy, or diversity.

Trump’s top ten cabinet picks:

Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy – Department of Government Efficiency: This is a new department, and it is unclear how far-reaching its powers are. As the world’s richest man, worth more than $260 billion, Musk is no stranger to Indians, he is the owner of X, Tesla, and Starlink, and has been negotiating his entry to manufacturing in India, although his overseas operations are largely China-based. Vivek Ramaswamy, born to Indian immigrant parents, set up a biotech company before joining politics and is unabashedly proud of his Indian origins.

Pete Hegseth – Defense Secretary: A former war veteran, Peter Hegseth is a Fox News anchor—virulently anti-China, he is likely to be a big proponent of arming the Indo-Pacific. He has no government experience and is believed to have been brought from outside the system to make tough decisions on firing generals within the U.S. government.

Marco Rubio – Secretary of State: Rubio, from Florida, is from a Cuban immigrant family and has long bet on ties with India and the U.S. In 2012, he met then Indian Ambassador Nirupama Rao, asserting his belief that India was an “important ally and friend,” and was tough on Pakistan’s support for terror. In July this year, Rubio introduced a bill to give India NATO ally status for technology transfers, exempt it from CAATSA sanctions, and support it militarily against China.

Mike Waltz – NSA: He was the co-chair of the U.S.-India caucus and has advocated for better ties with India, is tough on China, and calls for “maximum pressure on Iran.”

John Ratcliffe – CIA Director: He was formerly Director of National Intelligence in Trump 1.0 and will have tough views on Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea.