Nelson Peltz Says He Played ‘Matchmaker’ for Elon Musk and Donald Trump Ahead of Election

November 13, 2024 @ 12:41 PM

Billionaire businessman Nelson Peltz took partial credit for the blossoming personal and professional relationship between Elon Musk and President-elect Donald Trump.

While speaking at CNBC’s Delivering Alpha Conference in New York City on Wednesday, the founder of Trian Partners said he is a friend of Musk’s and that he hosted the X owner and the former president — as well as some of their kids — at his house for breakfast in the spring. 

“Elon was at the house for a weekend, and we had a breakfast and invited Donald for breakfast, and they sort of reunited again,” Peltz told CNBC’s Sara Eisen on stage. “I was a matchmaker. That was late last spring, and since then, look, I don’t know that Donald would have had this sweeping victory without Elon. Elon was in Pennsylvania, I thought he was going to be Amish, he was there full-time.”

The two men reconnected in March at Montsorrel, Peltz’s estate in Palm Beach, Florida, as first reported by the Wall Street Journal. The three talked about this fall’s presidential election months before Musk’s official endorsement and backing of the now-President-elect. 

When asked about Musk’s new role in the administration as co-head of the Department of Government Efficiency, Peltz said he was optimistic: “If Donald gives him the opportunity, he will cut costs. And that’s what we need to do … we need to cut costs.”

Nicola Peltz’s dad also discussed his failed proxy fight against Disney earlier this year. The billionaire joked that if the stock prices dropped enough, he may make another run at the company. Peltz also predicted that CEO Bob Iger would name a successor before the end of next year, not 2026, as previously announced.

“I know [chairman James] Gorman. He’s a good man, he is going to do a great job. And he will get a respectable CEO,” Peltz said on Wednesday. “The last two CEOs, Iger and Michael Eisner, I don’t know what happens in that office at Disney, if you’re there for a couple of years, you think your name is Walt Disney.”