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 Elon Musk appears to go out of his way to antagonize prominent MAGA figures, but experts suggest this could be beneficial for the movement in the long term as the tech billionaire seeks to impact President Donald Trump's second term

Newsweek has contacted the White House and X, the social media platform owned by Musk, formerly known as Twitter, for comment via email.

There have been concerns about how much influence Musk wields over Trump and within the administration. He apparently played a key role in Trump loyalist Vivek Ramaswamy stepping away from co-leading the Department of Government Efficiency, according to Politico.

But any fallout between Musk and figures of the MAGA movement risks straining his relationship with the president.

Elon Musk is, by nature, a contrarian," political strategist Denny Salas told Newsweek. "He will oppose a person's stance to compel them to make a persuasive argument for their position. Will it run afoul of the MAGA ethos? Sure, but it'll ensure President Trump receives the best information."

'Trump Expects Competing Voices'

This was never so clear as when Trump sided with Musk over the H1-B visa debate.

In late December, Musk had voiced support for H-1B visas, which allows skilled foreign workers to work in the U.S. Musk, whose companies have benefited from the H-1B visa program, faced criticism from MAGA figures, including Bannon and far-right activist Laura Loomer, known for her hard-line views on immigration.

 Two North Carolina locals who survived Hurricane Helene in September but suffered massive losses from the storm shared a single phrase from President Donald Trump that stuck with them during his Friday visit to hurricane-impacted areas.

"He seems like he genuinely cares, and…I'm glad that he's here, because it feels like we were forgotten or never taken care of under the other administration," Fairview resident Curtis Wright, who met Trump on Friday, told Fox News Digital.

"He said, ‘We’re here, and we're going to help you,' and I believe him," Wright added.

Wright's father lost his house and his small business, and Wright himself lost his home, as well as tractors and tools for his farm.

US President Donald Trump speaks while visiting a neighborhood affected by Hurricane Helene in Swannanoa, North Carolina, on January 24, 2025.  (MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

"We pretty much all lost everything, and it's hard to build back when you don't have tools," he said.

The president and first lady, Melania Trump, arrived in Asheville, North Carolina, around 10 a.m. Friday and then made stops in Fletcher and Swannanoa. Trump spoke alongside local residents and politicians before heading to California to visit wildfire-impacted areas on Friday afternoon.

A Trump flag posted to a tree in Helene-devastated Swannanoa, North Carolina, on Jan. 24, 2025. (Fox News Digital)

"We've come to North Carolina with a simple message for all the people of this region who were hit so hard by Hurricane Helene, and that message is very simple: You are not forgotten any longer," Trump said in Swannanoa before he heard personal stories from a group of locals. 

Numerous people across western North Carolina are still sleeping in tents and campers more than 100 days after the storm hit the area in the early morning hours of Sept. 27. Most campers on private property have been donated by local and national charities, such as Samaritan's Purse and Cajun Navy, which is working with Emergency RV to donate used and new campers.

Others are staying in campers donated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency on specific FEMA-designated sites.

North Carolinians living in a row of privately donated campers in Swannanoa. (Fox News Digital)

Holly Cape of Emergency RV told Fox News Digital that the organization has donated 87 RVs so far, but they are expecting that number to go up to 104 by next week. 

"I promised that I'd come back to western North Carolina to help the people of the state, and today, here I am to deliver on that promise," Trump said Friday. "We have a lot of things in mind, and we're getting the … Army Corps of Engineers all set. You need your riverbanks fixed. You need a lot of roads fixed. And we're going to get it done in rapid time."

A tent and camper in Swannanoa, North Carolina. (Fox News Digital)

The Rev. Franklin Graham, president and CEO of Samaritan's Purse, told Fox News Digital on Friday that he appreciates Trump's visiting hurricane survivors.

"To have the president come today and shake their hands, talk to them, and see their homes that had been destroyed—I can’t begin to tell you what that meant to these people," he said. "They were so grateful to see the President of the United States show up for them like this. It gave people hope."

The Rev. Franklin Graham, president and CEO of Samaritan's Purse, speaks during President Donald Trump's visit to Hurricane Helene-damaged North Carolina on Jan. 24, 2025. (Samaritan's Purse)

Much of the destroyed landscape in Swannanoa looks unchanged compared to the weeks after the storm first hit, but there are small signs of improvement: more people living in campers instead of tents or inhabitable homes destroyed by flooding, more construction on houses that were partially damaged, more debris organized in specific piles rather than outside every house, certain sections of land that have been cleared or dozed over.

The progress is happening slowly, and locals say the biggest need right now is still housing in the cold winter months. 

US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump wave as they steps off of Air Force One upon arrival at Asheville Regional Airport in Fletcher, North Carolina, on January 24, 2025, to visit the region devastated by Hurricane Helene.  (MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Residents hope FEMA will cut back some of its red tape under the new administration so people with urgent needs can get faster access to those necessities, whether it be money, housing or other forms of assistance. 

"It’s undeniable FEMA dropped the ball in North Carolina," Rep. Mark Harris, R-N.C., told Fox News Digital. "My visit to Asheville with President Trump only confirmed FEMA has gotten in the way of our state's ability to rebuild and provide real assistance to the victims of Hurricane Helene. Clearly FEMA must be reformed – and I will work with President Trump in Congress to ensure Americans facing disaster get the help they need."

A Trump sign posted to a telephone pole in Swannanoa, North Carolina, on Jan. 24, 2025. (Fox News Digital)

"The way that it is, it needs to be restructured," Wright said of FEMA. "It's so hard to get any money for immediate needs…we lost everything, and…pretty much all we got was the $750.""

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Wright also noted that locals are upset with "billions of dollars overseas" while people have immediate housing needs in North Carolina and elsewhere impacted by Helene.

Hurricane Helene created billions of dollars worth of damage when it destroyed homes, farms and critical infrastructure like roads, bridges and power lines. Parts of highways connecting North Carolina and Tennessee have been closed since late September.