The political rumor mill has been in full swing, and President-elect Donald Trump is once again being accused of a peculiar crime with seemingly no foundation.

In a far-ranging address commemorating his election triumph and outlining his objectives for his second term, Trump rejected accusations that he is handing over the presidency to Elon Musk, The Washington Examiner.

Politicians such as Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) have described Musk as "basically the fourth branch of the government," while media outlets such as The Hill and the Washington Post have referred to him as Trump's "Co-President."

Trump delivered his first rally-style address since the election at Turning Point USA’s AmFest in Phoenix, Arizona. Among the numerous subjects covered by Trump in his more than hour-long speech was his collaboration with Musk on the Department of Government Efficiency.

The Claims

Musk has played an active role in both the campaign and in Trump choosing cabinet positions post-election, and he is using his social media platform to comment on the appointments.

The contentious nominees of Trump, including Tulsi Gabbard for U.S. intelligence chief and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to head a prominent health agency, were the subject of more than 70 posts or shares by Musk on X (formerly Twitter) between November 7 and November 20, 2016, according to Reuters.

According to CBS News, after Trump's election, Musk became a major political donor, giving $277 million to Trump and other Republican politicians.

Trump's Response

The soon-to-be president made reference to left-wing accusations that he had given the presidency to Elon Musk, the billionaire CEO of Tesla, because Musk was the one spearheading the opposition to a continuing resolution.

“He’s not taking the presidency,” Trump told the crowd on Sunday. “I like having smart people. You know, they’re 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, but Elon has done an amazing job. Isn’t it nice to have smart people that we could rely on?”

Trump on Musk's Positives

Next, Trump joked that the South African-born billionaire shouldn't be worried about becoming president, after praising Musk's efforts with Starlink and SpaceX.

“So we want to thank him, but no, he’s not going to be president, that I can tell you,” Trump said. “And I’m safe. You know why he can’t be? He wasn’t born in this country.”

On top of taking a victory lap after winning the election, Trump boasted about his gains with Latinos, Black voters, and young voters, and he swept the seven swing states, including Arizona.

“We got the highest share of youth vote of any Republican ever before in history, and we had great people. You know, my son, Barron, said, ‘Dad, you got to see this one.’ That one, this one,” Trump said, referring to his son’s influence on podcasts he appeared on during the campaign.

“He said he likes Joe Rogan a lot, too. He said, ‘You got to see Joe Rogan, Dad. You got to do an interview with these people.’ And he has a sort of a feel for young people. I guess that’s a nice thing to have when you’re young. But he has a feel for it, and it was amazing,” the president-elect continued.