Elon Musk and Donald Trump seem besotted. Where is their bromance headed?
The precedents are not encouraging

During his victory speech on election night, Donald Trump touched on most of the standard topics for such occasions. He thanked his supporters and his staff. He praised his wife and children. He pledged to keep faith with voters. But mostly, he talked about Elon Musk. Fully 17% of his remarks—as much time as he spent sketching out his plans for his presidency—were devoted to the “super-genius” who had taken a break from managing his various businesses to help Mr Trump’s campaign. He banged on about Mr Musk’s generosity, his efficiency and, most of all, the technological prowess of his firms: “That’s why I love you, Elon.”
Explore more
This article appeared in the Briefing section of the print edition under the headline “The first buddy”

From the November 23rd 2024 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the edition
Why can’t stinking rich Ivies cope with losing a few hundred million?
Their huge endowments are not easy to cash in

Donald Trump is battling America’s elite universities—and winning
The Ivy League sees little point in fighting the federal government in court
An unrestrained Israel is reshaping the Middle East
Its quest for hegemony will strain domestic cohesion and foreign alliances
Dreams of improving the human race are no longer science fiction
But the “enhancement” industry is still hobbled by out-of-date regulation
If it comes to a stand-off, Europe has leverage over America
But pulling some of those levers would be so damaging as to make them unusable