Musk's ability to ice out Ramaswamy, who for a variety of reasons had irked some Republicans in Trump's circle, is the latest sign of his influence in the incoming administration. It presages an encore of all of the infighting that marked Trump's first term.

A deep philosophical rift between the two billionaire leaders of the “Department of Government Efficiency” left Musk alone at its top, which could give him more power than envisioned