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Hello and welcome to the Americano podcast, a series of discussions about American power,

politics and prejudices. The election is over, but the Americano never stops, and there will be a lot to talk about with the second Trump administration.

And so we'll bring you more and more Americano, because judging from the feedback, that's what you guys want.

So please keep listening.

Today we're going to be talking about the power of Elon Musk, because Elon Musk, as the world's richest man, is very much in the news at the moment, due to his close budding friendship

with Donald Trump, the re-elected president of the United States.

Douglas Murray, the spectator's very own Douglas Murray, has written a cover piece this week called Planet Elon,

in which he explores this extraordinary relationship between the two men and what it might mean

for American politics and the world. Douglas, it's easy to forget that not so long ago,

and in fact still, I think, Elon Musk will refer to himself as a moderate Democrat

that 16 years ago he queued up to meet Barack Obama and

shake his hand, that only in May last year he launched a SpaceX with Ron DeSantis, suggesting that he

was at least open to the idea of Ron DeSantis as the Republican nominee and not Donald Trump.

And yet, by August of this year,

he was doing a SpaceX with Donald Trump. And since then, the two men seem to have become closer and closer, so much so that some people are worried now that Elon Musk has

perhaps too much of a hold over Donald Trump.

What do you put down, where do you think that relationship began, that closeness began?

What in Elon Musk's mind changed?

...