The world’s richest man Elon Musk’s growing influence in Washington that proved pivotal to killing a proposed government funding bill has catapulted him into the conversation for House speaker, at least among two outspoken Republican members of Congress, though earlier attempts to put an outsider in the role have failed to gain traction and were seen as political stunts.
Elon Musk on Capitol Hill earlier this month.
CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
Key Takeaways
- “Nothing would disrupt the swamp more than electing Elon Musk” as speaker of the House, suggested Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., in a Thursday post to Musk’s social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
- Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Greene, R-Ga., responded she’s “open to supporting” Musk for the role as a means of “reigning in Congress to enact real government efficiency.”
- The suggestions come as some Republicans, including President-elect Donald Trump, cast doubt on House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., for the funding bill Johnson backed which Trump derided as “ridiculous and extraordinarily expensive.”
- Musk did not immediately respond to Forbes’ request for comment and has not addressed the suggestions on his highly active X account.
Can Elon Musk Be Speaker Of The House?
Yes. The Constitution does not specify the House Speaker must be a member of the House of Representatives, or any sort of elected official. The House Speaker has never been a non-Congress member, but Musk is not the first outsider floated as House Speaker: Trump earned a vote for the role from Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., in 2023 after the ouster of then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., in a lengthy process that eventually put Johnson in power.
Forbes Valuation
Musk is by far the richest person in the world, with a $438 billion net worth according to our latest estimates. That’s about $200 billion more than the next-richest person, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who reportedly shared dinner Wednesday with Musk and Trump. Musk’s fortune stems mostly from his stakes in the automaker Tesla, aerospace company SpaceX and artificial intelligence startup xAI. Musk is more than $160 billion richer Thursday than he was on Election Day after shares of Tesla surged and valuations for the private SpaceX and xAI swelled.
Key Background
Musk donated $239 million toward committees supporting Trump’s election bid, making him potentially Trump’s most prolific backer. The centibillionaire has been nearly inseparable from Trump since Election Day, describing himself as Trump’s “first buddy,” and his close advisory role has earned him the moniker of “unofficial co-president” from Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. Musk’s official role is as the co-chair of the newly created “Department of Government Efficiency” commission aimed at reigning in federal spending and regulations. Greene will lead a House subcommittee on the Musk-led initiative.
