US President-elect Donald Trump has dismissed speculation from Democratic critics suggesting that Elon Musk could assume the presidency, firmly stating that the Tesla and SpaceX CEO is ineligible under the US Constitution. Addressing a Republican conference in Phoenix, Trump announced Musk’s role as the head of a newly proposed Department of Government Efficiency, while reiterating that the presidency is out of reach for the billionaire entrepreneur.

“We will create a new department of government efficiency headed by Elon Musk,” Trump said. “And no, he’s not taking the presidency. They are on a new kick—Russia, Russia, Russia, Ukraine, Ukraine, Ukraine… all the different hoaxes. And the new one is: President Trump has ceded the presidency to Elon Musk. No, no, that’s not happening.”

Trump underscored Musk’s ineligibility due to the constitutional requirement that US presidents must be natural-born citizens. “He’s not gonna be president, that I can tell you. You know why he can’t be? He wasn’t born in this country,” Trump stressed. Musk, who was born in South Africa, holds US citizenship but does not meet the natural-born citizen criterion for the presidency.

The President-elect praised Musk for his contributions, stating, “Elon’s done an amazing job. Isn’t it nice to have smart people that we can rely on? He has a great job.”

Reacting to the announcement, Musk expressed his admiration for Trump, commenting simply, “Trump is awesome.”

The move to appoint Musk to lead a government efficiency department has drawn mixed reactions, with supporters hailing it as an innovative step and critics questioning the implications of such an appointment.

Under the US Constitution, Article II requires the president to be a natural-born citizen, a criterion Musk does not meet despite his global influence and contributions to technology and innovation.