Warum hat Elon Musk Trump bei Treffen mit ausländischen Staats- und Regierungschefs begleitet?

**From Steve Benen, producer for “The Rachel Maddow Show,” the editor of MaddowBlog and an MSNBC political contributor:**

The fact that Donald Trump had [yet another meeting](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/12/10/trump-administration-transition/#link-5LDYKUTGSBHTJDKCBJ4Q7ET4ZA) with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán this week was not at all surprising. The Republican has spent an outrageous amount of time [publicly celebrating](https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/eyeing-orban-trump-endorses-strongman-leadership-style-rcna169807) the foreign leader, having [private conversations](https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/hungarys-orban-offers-rare-peek-trumps-plans-ukraine-rcna143132) with the Hungarian, and even [welcoming Orbán to Mar-a-Lago](https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/eyeing-orban-trump-endorses-strongman-leadership-style-rcna169807). The more the prime minister’s [authoritarian takeover](https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/why-tucker-carlson-s-trip-budapest-bad-news-america-n1275881) of his country generated international outrage, the more Trump extended [over-the-top support](https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/biden-takes-aim-trump-embrace-hungarys-orban-rcna142744) to the prime minister.

But part of what made the latest meeting notable was one of the discussion’s unelected participants. 

**Read more:** [https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/elon-musk-joined-trump-meetings-foreign-leaders-rcna183823](https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/elon-musk-joined-trump-meetings-foreign-leaders-rcna183823)

The question is why is Musk allowing Trump to tag along as he meets with world leaders.