President-elect Donald Trump sent a cryptic message to his tech billionaire friend Elon Musk on Friday, just hours after a heated social media argument over immigration caused him trouble. "Where are you?" Trump posted on his Truth Social platform. "When are you coming to the 'Center of the Universe,' Mar-a-Lago?"
Trump also claimed that Musk's billionaire competitor, Bill Gates, had requested to visit him on Friday evening. "We miss you and X!" Trump wrote, most likely referring to Musk's son, X Æ A-Xii, often called X. "New Year's Eve is going to be AMAZING!!! - DJT." However, many were left baffled after the President-elect posted the cryptic message on X.
Trump's Small Mistake
The public post, which appeared to be directed at Musk, sparked speculation that it may have been intended as a private message to the billionaire. Musk has been a regular guest of Trump's at Mar-a-Lago since the election, but he was notably absent from the Trump family's Christmas celebrations.
The last time Musk was seen with Trump was at the Army-Navy football game in Maryland on December 14.
Since then, Musk has stirred controversy by criticizing a proposed Republican spending plan on X, causing turmoil in the House of Representatives and nearly leading to a government shutdown.
In response, Democrats have publicly claimed that Musk is the "real" president, suggesting he holds influence over Trump and Republican lawmakers in Congress.
Trump made light of the controversy while speaking at Turning Point USA's AmericaFest. "No, he's not going to be president, that I can tell you," Trump said about Musk. "And I'm safe. You know why he can't be? He wasn't born in this country."
Musk was born in South Africa.
Making it Public
Trump's most recent social media message to Musk came after the billionaire got into a spirited debate about bringing in skilled foreign tech workers on H1-B visas, arguing that it was crucial for the growth of tech companies.
"The number of people who are super talented engineers AND super motivated in the USA is far too low,' Musk wrote, warning of the 'dire shortage of extremely talented and motivated engineers in America."
Musk posted multiple messages on X advocating for the importance of skilled foreign workers. "There is a permanent shortage of excellent engineering talent. It is the fundamental limiting factor in Silicon Valley," he wrote.
Musk urged his followers to think of U.S. companies recruiting top talent for their organizations in the same way a sports team seeks the best players. "If you force the world's best talent to play for the other side, America will LOSE. End of story," he wrote.
However, Musk's critics contended that H1-B visas are often misused by U.S. companies to hire foreign workers instead of employing qualified American candidates.
Both Trump and his running mate, JD Vance, have advocated for reforming the H1-B visa program to put American workers first.
