WASHINGTON, Nov 16 (Reuters) – Billionaire Elon Musk and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. sided with investor Howard Lutnick on Saturday in the debate over who President-elect Donald Trump should pick as his treasury secretary, making public the internal jockeying on the decision.
Trump has not announced his nominee for the role, but Lutnick, the CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald, and investor Scott Bessent are serious contenders for the job and sources familiar with his thinking say Trump has been wrestling with picking one of the two or considering another option.
Musk said Bessent is “a business-as-usual choice.”Business-as-usual is driving America bankrupt, so we need change one way or another,” Musk said on X. “Would be interesting to hear more people weigh in on this for Trump to consider feedback.
“Kennedy, a controversial choice by Trump to be Health and Human Services secretary, said in a social media post that bitcoin is “the currency of freedom.”Bitcoin will have no stronger advocate than Howard Lutnik,” he wrote, misspelling Lutnick’s name.
Whether Trump would be swayed by the comments from his allies Musk and Kennedy was unclear. In recent days he was believed to have been close to selecting Bessent, but then Lutnick emerged as a serious contender.
As of Saturday afternoon no announcement had been made.
Representatives for Bessent did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Musk’s post. Cantor Fitzgerald declined comment.
Musk has been increasingly influential in Trump’s inner circle and has been staying at the president-elect’s Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, as Trump forms his incoming government.
At a gala event on Thursday night, Trump teased Musk about his ongoing post-election stay at Mar-a-Lago.”I can’t get him out of here. He just loves this place. And I like having him here,” said Trump.
At the end of the event, Musk mounted the stage.”The public has given us a mandate that could not be more clear. The people have spoken, the people want change,” he said.
Lutnick has been helping Trump with his transition efforts. He has praised the president-elect’s economic policies, including his use of tariffs.