White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Elon Musk's conflicts of interest will be monitored and addressed by the Tesla CEO himself. The theory is likely to be tested as Musk's private companies like Tesla and SpaceX have reportedly been paid billions over the past decade for government work.

The electric-car maker, the main source of the mercurial billionaire’s wealth, is relying on China to stay profitable as sales sink elsewhere.

Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency has moved quickly to set up shop in a critical Treasury Department office that handles the vast majority of payments made by the federal government,