Moreover, Mr. Musk has been a guest at two meetings of business leaders with Mr. Trump. That means Mr. Trump could take credit for ending subsidies out of favor with his constituents, and Mr. Musk could prosper. Then, too, Mr. Musk is himself a brash and successful billionaire, something attractive to the president. At a recent business meeting, he pressed Mr. Trump for a tax on carbon fuels, something the president did not dismiss out of hand. That is almost a mark of a big business coming into its own: when you stop asking the government for handouts, and instead press it to hurt your competitor.

Source: New York Times January 27, 2017 16:55 UTC