More than 50 days into the second Trump administration, the highly scrutinized relationship between President Trump and Elon Musk is showing no signs of a real strain.

Trump gave a gaudy show of support for Musk and his company this week by bringing Tesla vehicles to the White House and announcing he was purchasing one for the complex. The president used the exhibition to praise Musk as a “patriot” and to tout Tesla’s products, a display that drew outcry from critics.

Musk and his young son, X, have been a near-constant presence on the White House campus, and the billionaire traveled with the president aboard Air Force One last weekend.

The lovefest has defied predictions from Republicans and Democrats alike, including some in the president’s orbit, that Trump and Musk were doomed to have a messy falling out. Trump, those skeptics argued, would not be able to stand sharing the spotlight with Musk, the world’s richest man.

Sources close to the White House still questioned what would happen once Musk’s special government employee status expires at the end of May. But the two men have built a strong bond on a mutually beneficial relationship.

“He respects Elon,” said Sean Spicer, who served as Trump’s press secretary during his first term. “And Elon respects him.”

Trump has historically grown frustrated with those who take up too much of the........

© The Hill