How long will Elon Musk last in the Trump orbit? Currently he seems to be ubiquitous but that presents a problem for Donald Trump and his massive ego.

Musk has been a major presence in the Trump campaign – financially, through social media and also through encouraging tech bro endorsements. He has been promised big roles in the new Administration including looking for ‘efficiencies’ – code for slashing programs which benefit ordinary Americans and institutions and government departments which restrain business.

The ubiquity was illustrated by his participation in a teleconference with President Zelensky. What he has to offer in mediating peace between Ukraine and Russia is unknowable but no doubt he would have impressed on Zelensky how much more he knows about the country than Zelensky does.

Musk’s problem is that there is room for only one star in the Trump universe and there is absolutely no room for someone smarter than Trump imagines he himself is.

Things will hum along with lots of mutual admiration up to the Inauguration and for a while afterwards. But if Musk continues to attract publicity and his X posts gain even more prominence Trump will start to quietly fume.

Trump was probably the laziest US President yet. He spent much of his time during his first Presidential stint in the private quarters watching TV and posting in capital letters while making time for photo shoots with celebrities. But while lazy, he is always acutely conscious of his status and the need to be the centre of attention.

Meanwhile, his currently obvious cognitive problems will get worse and he will become more paranoid and suspicious of anyone who he thinks is attracting more attention than him.

That’s bad news for Musk if he is publicly perceived as a sort of co-President or a major part of the Administration with sweeping power and responsibilities. The more publicity Musk gets the more paranoid Trump will get. And make no mistake, he will get lots of publicity in the early days of the Administration both through the media and his own social media.

The other problem for Musk is that Trump’s whole approach to life is transactional. The JFK challenge: “And so fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country” is not likely to factor in any Trump thinking.

Instead, Trump’s version will be what can your country do for me? The same approach will determine the Trump attitude to Musk.

How long will the bromance last? Who knows? But the odds on it ending badly are very, very high.