Maggie Haberman Says Republican Sources ‘Concerned’ About Elon Musk’s Influence Over Trump

CNN commentator and New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman said her Republican sources are “concerned” about Elon Musk’s influence on President-elect Donald Trump and what it means for “actually, competently, and functionally running a government.”

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) thought he had secured a deal to keep the government open with a 1500-plus-page continuing resolution, but after Elon Musk led a charge against the bill, Trump came out against it as well. After a scathing Trump rant Wednesday night, that deal is now in ruins.

On Wednesday night’s edition of CNN’s The Source with Kaitlan Collins, anchor Kaitlan Collins asked Haberman about Musk’s influence, and Haberman said Republicans have told her they’re “concerned”:

COLLINS: And if you look at this picture just from — this was the Army-Navy game on Saturday. You see Trump, Mike Johnson, Elon Musk, they’re all together.

Trump and Mike Johnson were talking about their legislative priorities for when Trump is in office.

What does tonight and how today played out show about how much influence Elon Musk has on Trump, over Mike Johnson?

HABERMAN: Well, certainly Elon Musk has an enormous amount of influence, at least, in communicating for Donald Trump.

I don’t know how much of this is Elon Musk whispering in Trump’s ear versus other people whispering in Trump’s ear. And Musk is being vocally against this particular piece of this bill. It does speak about the fact that Elon Musk is going to be a very powerful ally for Trump.

It’s also raising concerns for some Republicans, I’ve been talking to, over the last couple of hours, what does this look like for those legislative priorities, such as extending the tax cuts, such as any number of things that Trump wants to try to enact and that he has campaigned on. What does this look like for actually, competently, and functionally running a government?

This is just, you know — look, they could salvage this. We’ll see where it goes. But this is complicated and messy, and probably didn’t need to be this way.

COLLINS: Yes, to say the least.

Watch above via CNN’s The Source with Kaitlan Collins.