Well, Elon Musk has become something of an informal advisor to Donald Trump, weighing in on cabinet

picks and even crashing a call with a world leader. But all of this is putting a spotlight on the

relationship between... As Donald Trump puts the finishing touches to his new administration in

Washington, the talk of the town continues to revolve around Elon Musk. The world's richest man has the ear of the president-elect, but how long will that last?

Welcome to PowerPlay, Politico's weekly podcast, where I talk to some of the most influential people on either side of the Atlantic.

I'm Anne McHelvoy, and if you

haven't already, please take a moment to follow this podcast so you don't miss an episode

where the guest you might like to hear from. And with me this week is Roe Kana, the congressman

representing the 17th District of California, including a large swave of Silicon Valley, worth about

$12 trillion, the wealthiest electoral district in America. He also knows a thing or two about how

Elon Musk operates. The two are frequently in contact. Even in prosperous parts of the golden state,

Democrats lost ground to Donald Trump's resurgent Republicans, just as they did across the rest of the country.

Can an ambitious California Democrat, on the progressive wing, helped rebuild his party on its knees after a severe electoral drubbing?

Roe Conner, welcome to PowerPlay.

Thanks for having me on.

When you look across the country

and a little bit of distance from the election,

what do you think went so wrong for Democrats

and it was a resounding defeat for your fellow California liberal,

losing every battle guy are in state, lost control of the Senate, failed to regain the House. It does feel like a

sweeping defeat. What do you put it down to? I do want to make it in context. I mean,

we lost the popular vote by about a point or a point and a half, and these battlegrounds were

...