BBC News, in Erie, Pennsylvania
They sat around a breakfast table in Eri, Pennsylvania, four veterans in the mid -1980s – John, Jack, Bob and Don – gather to remember their decades of friendship.
But this is another Don, the one at the end of the 70s, who continues to sneak into his conversation: President Donald Trump.
Of the four, only beans voted for Trump. But after he saw Elon Musk this week standing next to the Republican President in the Oval Cabinet, defending his efforts to reduce the size and cost of the federal government, he already doubts his decision.
“I'm afraid of him,” Bob says of Musk. “I think he is trying to be president.”
Erie County was one of the main battlefields that helped to brighten the 2024 presidential election in favor of Trump. The Republican won 50.1% of the vote here only four years after his democratic opponent Joe Biden was closely taken.
And part of Trump's winning platform was a clear promise of major overcoming and overcoming the Federal Government, promising on the traces of the campaign to deliver “trillions” in cuts if selected. The polls have indicated that they are popular with Republican voters and that remains now.
What was less clear to the voters before the election was exactly how part of the first line role would play in this administration. The 53-year-old owner of Tesla, Spacex and X is now leading the Ministry of Efficiency of the Government (Doge), which is dedicated to the contraction of the government and is routinely depicted with the president.
The members of his team have entered various departments to monitor the costs and offered millions of workers to go a route. They have moved to freezing federal funding, as well as the work of agencies such as the US Agency for International Development (USAID) in Blizzard in recent weeks.
But given the scale of Musk's influence in the nascent Trump administration, Democrats are concerned about the conflict of interest, as well as Musk, whose companies have billions under contracts of the federal government, which potentially takes action to take advantage of yourself.
“It's dangerous. It's against America's interests,” said Senior Democrat Chuck Sumer. “And President Trump must show some leadership and reign in the Dog before it causes more harm.”
This concern was shared by John Pelinski, a Democrat throughout his life who, in the November election, threw his newsletter for Donald Trump. He said the Democrats have returned too far to the left and wants Trump for four years to help the country's centering.
Although he does not regret his vote, he says that Musk makes him feel restless.
“He had his young child there with him in the oval office,” he said. “I'm not very comfortable with that.”
“I think Musk's influence can be a little too much on the president,” he added. “I see too much of it. He just has to stick to his spacex and his electric cars.”
In the meantime, Musk was clear that he believed he was working to fulfill the wishes of Trump's voters.
“People have voted for a great reform of the government, and people will receive that,” he told reporters during a surprising White House appearance this week. “This is democracy.”
A recent BBC CBS News Poll It suggests that the majority of Americans support Musk's work, but do not agree how much influence should have.
In Erie, many supporters were excited when they saw not one billionaire businessman, and two, running the show in Washington.
Christine Barber enjoyed worrying and said the American people chose Trump to rule the country, and he appointed Musk to help him do it.
“Personally, I love him,” she told Musk.
“Financially and from a business point of view, we need someone who knows what the hell are doing. And if someone does it, it's Donald Trump and Elon Musk.”
Patrick Lilan had a similar view. He said he trusted Trump and Musk, “as far as you can trust anyone you don't know.”
“The man is obviously brilliant,” Laila said to Musk. “He does a good job trying to get rid of waste. Both gentlemen are trying to return the money to Americans.”
Evan Lagas, a restaurant manager here, embraces the abbreviations of Musk to a system that he views as bloated and ineffective. He said he evaluates that the technological billionaire “gives his time to the country to help troubleshoot a big problem.”
“As he did in a micro -terms with Twitter, he can hope to do the same with our country,” Lagas said, citing the mass cuts and spending the reduction of Musk implemented after the purchase of the social media company.
As for the accusations that Musk had become too powerful in this White House, Lagas said it didn't bother him.
“He is already extremely powerful,” he said. “That doesn't matter.”