New York Times White House correspondent Maggie Haberman says President Trump and his advisers have identified tech giant Elon Musk as a “useful heat shield” for criticism on his administration’s policies. 

“I think what gets lost here too, is how much political heat Elon Musk is absorbing. That really is for actions that Trump has authorized, but Elon Musk has become the focus,” Haberman said during a Thursday appearance on CNN’s “AC360.”

“And so, Trump and a lot of his advisers see Elon Musk as a useful heat shield. I think that if you start seeing as one of them said to me, ‘Elon Musk’s popularity rising and Donald Trump’s falling,’ that may become when the long haul shortens,” she added.

Her words echo claims from former Trump staffer Alyssa Farah Griffin, who said Trump strategically placed Musk in charge of controversial cuts. 

“What Trump is doing by putting Elon in charge of so much of overseeing the federal government and these massive cuts is he’s giving himself distance from when they inevitably become unpopular — these cuts that are made. He is delegating right now,” Griffin stated during an appearance on “CNN News Central.”

GOP members have questioned Musk’s position at the White House, while Democrats have said it’s unethical for the non-elected official to have access to government spending records and authority for agency probes. 

Fifty-five percent of Americans said Musk has been given too much power in his unprecedented role which seemingly evades data privacy laws and conflict of interest clauses. 

Despite criticism, Trump has defended the SpaceX CEO’s role within the administration and lauded him for bold attempts at federal spending reform. 

“Elon is, to me, a patriot. So, you know, you could call him an employee, you could call him a consultant, you could call him whatever you want. But he’s a patriot, I mean took at the kind of things,” Trump told reporters.