PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) – As president-elect Donald Trump makes a multitude of choices to fill out the cabinet of his new administrationLobbying for key positions has been fierce behind closed doors – and sometimes publicly.

Now a billionaire and key Trump ally Elon Musk calls for more direct public participation in the decision-making process for at least one high-level position: that of head of the Treasury Department.

“It would be interesting to hear more people give their opinions on this topic so that @realDonaldTrump takes their comments into account,” said Musk, whom Trump has already tapped to co-lead a commission charged with increase the efficiency of public spendingposted on Saturday on the X social media platform he owns.

Musk then used the remainder of his position to become the first participant in the public poll he proposed. He supported Howard Lutnick, CEO of financial services firm Cantor Fitzgerald and co-chair of Trump’s transition team ahead of Inauguration Day on Jan. 20, 2025, over hedge fund manager Scott Bessent.

Musk said in his post that “Bessent is a status quo choice, while @howardlutnick will implement change.”

“The status quo is bankrupting America, so we need change,” he said.

Lutnick and Bessent have been mentioned as possible choices to lead the Treasury Department. Bessent is considered the most conventional and business-friendly choice. He is skeptical of cryptocurrency, while Lutnick suggested it could be used by people to pay their taxes.

Shortly after, Trump’s choice to lead his Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.Lutnick also endorsed, posting on his own X account: “Bitcoin is the currency of freedom, a hedge against inflation for middle-class Americans. »

“Bitcoin will have no greater defender than Howard Lutnik,” he wrote, misspelling Lutnick’s last name.

Trump has already announced numerous picks in recent days, including his choice for secretary of state, the Florida senator. Marco Rubioand Attorney General, former Florida Representative . Matt Gaetz.

Treasury is the most important position he has left to fill, but he has yet to announce choices for others, including the heads of the Education and Labor departments – as well as the Treasury – and many top prospects have fought to improve their standing with Trump. .

Elon Musk’s message came as Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson was at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Fla., this weekend and is expected to meet with the president-elect later Saturday. After that, Trump is expected to go to the convention on Saturday evening. UFC Heavyweight Championship fight between Stipe Miocic and Jon Jones at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Except for a day trip in Washington this week to meet for nearly two hours with President Joe Biden and separately address House Republicans, Trump has spent his time since his Election Day victory at Mar-a-Lago, which galas organized and conservative events throughout the week,

A return to Madison Square Garden means revisit the place where a comedian caused an uproar at a Trump rally last month by comparing Puerto Rico to a “floating island of garbage.” Still, Trump continues to enjoy his visits to New York, where he has lived for decades.

Trump has also been close to Ultimate Fighting Championship president Dana White for more than two decades.

White hosted a UFC fight in 2001 at the Trump Taj Mahal, a former hotel-casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and Trump has frequently attended UFC matches since — including during his campaign. 2024. Trump recently showed up for fights with celebrities entouragesincluding White, musician Kid Rock and former Fox News Channel host Tucker Carlson.

In 2018, during Trump’s first term, he and White starred in a UFC video in which the then-president was referred to as the “fighter in chief.”

As Trump has strengthened his grip on the national Republican Party over the past decade, White’s personal political profile has grown exponentially. White spoke at the 2016 and 2020 Republican conventions, and when the party gathered in Milwaukee last July. He also addressed the crowd at Trump’s victory party in Florida in the early morning hours after Election Day.

“This is what happens when the machine comes after you,” White said then. “What you’ve seen over the last few years, this is what it looks like: I couldn’t stop it. He continues to move forward. He doesn’t give up.

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