A Musk-Putin bombshell

Elon Musk has ramped up his campaign to get Donald Trump elected in recent weeks, rallying hard in the battleground state of Pennsylvania, and controversially offering $1 million to registered voters who back one of his pet conservative political initiatives.

Now, a new report on his apparent ties to President Vladimir Putin of Russia has renewed questions about his relationships with the U.S. government and with Trump, and what role — if any — Musk should play in politics.

The Tesla C.E.O. has been in regular contact with Putin since late 2022, according to The Wall Street Journal. Their conversations have been wide-ranging, touching on personal issues, business and geopolitics. On one occasion, the Russian president asked Musk not to activate his Starlink satellite service over Taiwan to help China’s leader, Xi Jinping, The Journal reports.

That’s turned the spotlight back on Musk’s lucrative links with the U.S. government. Last year, his companies counted almost 100 contracts with 17 federal agencies, promising to pay out $3 billion, The Times reported. SpaceX, his rocket company, essentially controls NASA’s rocket launch schedule — that was in full view again with another successful mission this on Friday — and the Defense Department uses it to get most of its satellites into space. Starlink services are used by U.S. embassies and government departments, like the U.S. Forest Service.

Trump has said Musk could play a role in his administration. Just this week, Musk said he would push to change regulations on self-driving cars — a big imperative for Tesla — if he is put in charge of a government efficiency agency.

The Journal reports that Musk’s contact with Putin, and those close to him is “a closely held secret in government.” (Trump’s own ties to Putin are under scrutiny after Bob Woodward reported that the former president had spoken to the Russian leader on multiple occasions since leaving office, citing an unnamed source.)