Is Elon Wearing Out His Welcome?
Although Donald Trump is known for tossing aside any political conventions or traditions he doesn't like, there's one aspect of his transition that seems rather jaw-dropping, although few have commented on it (other than by making jokes). Ultra-cynical observers of American politics have long denounced the wealthy (not to mention corporations) for "buying" politicians. If you've got enough money, then you can easily fund a re-election campaign... or fund a primary challenge if this carrot doesn't work as intended. From that point on, they have certain politicians "in their pocket," and can count on them to vote to support their interests.
This has been rampant in American politics for a very long time, of course. Campaign-finance reforms are occasionally enacted, but there's a saying in Washington: "Money in politics is like rain on a paved road... there will always be cracks that allow it to seep in." And ever since the Supreme Court ruled that money equals free speech in politics, campaign finance laws are notable only for their weakness (or their non-existence). The business of buying politicians has been made easy, which has led to not just a rainfall of people using political donations to buy influence, but an absolute flood.
But usually, up until now at any rate, this sort of thing was routinely denied and hidden away by the politicians. "Political donations don't influence my vote," they would sanctimoniously say, right before voting exactly the way their donors want. "There's no quid pro quo -- the fact that I was swamped by donations from [insert rich donor or company or industry here] just before I voted to eliminate taxes on them was sheer coincidence." They have a term for this in Washington, too: "plausible deniability."
But now it seems that Trump doesn't care if all of this happens right out in the open. Elon Musk, the world's richest man, has gotten so close to Trump after the election that people joke that they are going to be "co-presidents." Musk himself said he was now "First Buddy" to Trump. Late-night comedians (following Trump's own lead) now joke that Trump can't get rid of Musk -- he seems to have ensconced himself in Trump's Florida home and is weighing in on all sorts of decisions Trump is making during the transition period.
It's even gotten to the point where others surrounding Trump are getting seriously annoyed by Musk's presence and his outsized influence over Trump. According to NBC, some anonymous sources from Trump's inner circle are beginning to show their resentment towards Musk: "He's behaving as if he's a co-president and making sure everyone knows it. And he's sure taking lots of credit for the president's victory. Bragging about America PAC and X to anyone who will listen."
This highlights the fact that Musk's PAC spent over $150 million on the 2024 campaign, which is a substantial amount of money. But Donald Trump is not a normal politician, so it's a little strange to see Musk being so in-your-face about the power and influence he now thinks he is due. Because this sort of thing can backfire, with Trump.
During the campaign, Trump made a promise to his followers about what Musk's role in his administration would be. Musk would perform an "audit" of the federal government, and cut the federal budget down to size. When asked about this, Musk said it'd be easy to cut almost one-third of the federal budget altogether -- promising $2 trillion in cuts to a $7 trillion budget. The New York Times points out that this would be "more than everything the government spends on stuff other than defense, interest and transfer payments such as Medicare and Social Security." So it's not likely to happen.
But then again, you never know. Musk can be a wrecking ball just out of spite, even when it is self-destructive. He bought Twitter and immediately fired something like 75 percent to 80 percent of the people who worked there. When nobody was left to do things like content moderation, large advertisers fled the platform. The investment company Fidelity now estimates that the company is worth only one-fifth what Musk paid for it -- down from $44 billion to less than $10 billion. But Musk sure did have a whole lot of fun firing all those people....
Trump is following through on his promise, at least in part. He announced that Musk would be teaming up with Vivek Ramaswamy (who has publicly embraced firing 75 percent of the federal workforce) to run the "Department Of Government Efficiency," which spurred a whole lot of jokes about the efficiency of appointing two people to run the effort instead of just one. The name is misleading too, since it won't be a government department at all -- it will somehow exist outside the government, with the question of how to fund the effort still rather open. Musk chose the name himself, as a grift (the acronym DOGE helps Musk make money off of cryptocurrency). Trump has only talked about a rather vague timeline for the effort, saying they'd come up with recommendations in roughly 18 months or so.
The big question in Washington is whether this effort will actually achieve anything or not. As that Times article points out, talking about making huge cuts to the federal budget is a lot easier than actually doing so. Slashing entire federal departments is a perennial conservative dream, but when you look at what the federal government actually does (other than Social Security, Medicare, the military, and paying off the federal debt), it gets hard to justify. "We're going to eliminate all federal food inspectors" isn't going to be wildly popular with the public, to put this another way.
Setting aside the question of whether Trump is actually sidelining Musk by sending him off on a wild goose chase against the dreaded "waste, fraud, and abuse" in the budget or will actually act on Musk's recommendations, what I wonder is whether Musk will essentially wear out his welcome long before the effort even gets underway. Because one thing Trump truly hates is being upstaged by anyone. The final part of that quotation from the NBC report is telling: Musk is "trying to make President Trump feel indebted to him. And the president is indebted to no one."
Musk and Trump share a searing need for the spotlight to be focused on them. But outshining Trump is a cardinal sin, to Trump. And Musk already seems to be in danger of doing so. He's annoying the rest of Trump's team by butting in where he doesn't belong, he's been trying to influence Trump's cabinet picks (even going so far as to publicly post his recommendations to Musk's online audience), and he seems to want even more influence in the future.
This may already be chafing Trump. Last week he appeared in front of House Republicans and made a joke about the situation: "Elon won't go home. I can't get rid of him." And we all know how Trump's "jokes" can really be a strong signal for what's annoying him.
Trump reportedly loves hanging out with the rich and powerful. But he has his limits as well. He seems to be in the process of realizing that the optics of the situation with Musk aren't really working in his favor. From the outside looking in, it appears that Musk is the rich puppetmaster pulling Trump's strings -- and that is an unforgivable sin to Trump. Musk is taking credit for Trump's win, which is another unforgivable sin. It certainly appears to those outside Trump's inner circle that Musk is the one calling the tune, and Trump is dancing to it (so to speak... Trump's not exactly known for his dance-floor skills, so perhaps another metaphor might be better).
Big political donors wield an enormous amount of influence on American politicians in general. But as I mentioned, this is usually cloaked in plausible deniability and conducted in closed rooms far from the public's prying eyes. But both Trump and Musk have outsized personalities that thirst for the spotlight, so they both don't really mind that all of this is playing out for everyone to see.
Yet. We'll see how far this bromance goes before Trump decides that Musk is trying to steal his thunder and decides to create at least the public image of some separation between the two.
Until then, the puppet/puppetmaster jokes will continue.
-- Chris Weigant
Follow Chris on Twitter: @ChrisWeigant
But Donald Trump is not a normal politician, so it's a little strange to see Musk being so in-your-face about the power and influence he now thinks he is due.
Musk and Trump are both opportunists; Trump is transactional and made promises to him that Musk intends to be kept. Musk wants Trump's power that he could never attain, and Trump covets Musk's money that he could never attain because he's basically selling nothing but a giant steaming pile of grifting bullshit to gullible people... and I would wager that would include Elon Musk.
It should be interesting to watch. I mean, Donald Trump at his core is an opportunist New York Democrat who literally took over the Republican Party because they are a bunch of cowards who quite simply allowed him to do it at multiple turns. Musk too was a Democrat who followed in Trump's footsteps because Trump saw an opportunity and money, and Musk saw an opportunity for power to deregulate his businesses and make more money.
If you think there are a bunch of gullible rubes who whine incessantly about Democrats while unknowingly being conned by a whole host of them, you are definitely correct, but if you think there are Republicans in high places that aren't aware their Party is being swallowed up by Democrats, that definitely is not the case. So it should be interesting to see to how many Democrats they'll "suck up."
Because this sort of thing can backfire, with Trump.
I know, right!? Did you see Trump warning BJ about getting "too popular"?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hR0sRA6HCpA
Trump made up some total bullshit about BJ doing so well with the Democrats... as if Democrats would actually accept a total known nutjob conspiracy theorist like Republicans demonstrably will.
Mustn't let the incessant bullshit Trump spews fool you, but Donald's neediness and low self-esteem definitely requires the constant praise. Check how many people were the "greatest" according to Trump that he's kicked to the curb.
At this juncture in the history of our Constitutional Republic and with Trumpaggedon mere weeks away I hereby propose the Most Disappointing Democrat of the Week award shall be now and forever renamed the Merrick Garland.
He and Comey were so worried about protecting the institution of the DoJ that they didn’t do right by said Constitutional Republic. Both should immediately fuck off all the way back to Fuckoffistan.
Let's see... Sources for all the "facts" in this commentary.
NBC
NY Grimes
CNN
Are there any RELIABLE UN-BIASED OBJECTIVE sources??
No??
Of course not... :eyeroll:
Sour grapes and crow look good on ya'all.. :D
Russ, Bashi et al
So, it was a bit of a slow (we're not allowed to use the 'q'-word) at the Comm Center, so I was able to do a little research on these BS Matt Gaetz accusations..
Seems like a low-life scumbag named Something Greenberg is Gaetz's primary accuser..
Greenberg is sitting in jail right now.. His crimes?? Falsely accusing another politician of sex with a minor.. Sound familiar???
Oh and the other crime Greenberg is in jail for?? Sex with a minor.. The very same minor that is Gaetz's OTHER accuser.
It gets even better.. According to Greenberg, the "minor" is a prostitute (identified as AB) that Greenberg paid to do deviant sex acts with Greenberg. When DOJ investigators tried to interview AB she stated she would say whatever the investigators wanted her to say as long as there was a "Venmo Link" involved...
And THESE are the accusers that YOU people are putting your faith in whole-heartedly, unconditionally and without reservation!!???
BBBBBWWWWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Do you people see how far off the deep end ya'all have gone with your PTDS and Trump/America hate??
Basement Biden's DOJ could not drop the Gaetz case fast enough..
Now ya'all know why..... :eyeroll:
These accusations against Gaetz are nothing but a lame political hitjob and the fact that ya'all buy into them so completely simply proves what hate-filled bigots and morons ya'all are...
Kick Troll
It's very telling that you seriously believe that Trump plays "12-D Chess" when he doesn't, and what it says is you are gullible as hell.
Well, then I guess that means you think CW is "as gullible as hell" too, eh??
Also, the drama around the Gaetz appointment would serve to lessen the drama surrounding some of his other woefully unqualified nominees. Kind of a win-win for Trump as well as Gaetz, when looked at this way.
Kinda ballsy for you, a PTSD riddled Trump/America hating sycophant to call your host "gullible as hell", but hay.. You troll always do something stoopid at least once a day, so... :D
JL,
how about Jodie Foster's Contact? were you misusing it even before then?
You'll have to give me the context...
Once again, duty calls...
It's up to me to keep the streets of FL safe for Democracy... :D
You guys have a REAL good night..
I know I am going to... :D
Oh, one final point..
President ELECT Trump won 55% of the Hispanic American men vote and 21% of the black American men vote..
Your Democrats got creamed no matter WHICH way ya'all wanna look at it...
President ELECT Trump decimated the Democrats in EVERY Demographic!!! :D And STILL has a considerably great margin in the Popular Vote..
Oooo the SHAME ya'all must feel...
BBBBWWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHHA
@m,
enjoy the feeling, you've waited a long time for it and you're entitled to crow. but when it comes to folks like gaetz, RFK Jr or Gabbard, be careful what you wish for.
JL
Contact
JL,
I'll get to the other points later. Gotta start my shift soon.
But I wanted to point out how far off the reservation Democrats have gone that they would hate on a KENNEDY that walks in the footsteps of the legendary JFK...
Nothing better indicates how far Dems have fallen into the abyss more than that...
Michale,
You seem to ignore a few minor details of the case against Gaetz — the girl was a minor when he was having sex with her. That fact is not in question — she most definitely was. The reason no case has been brought against him is that the victim is not cooperating with the prosecutors. His daddy is a very wealthy man and can buy people’s silence quite effortlessly. And prosecutors know it never looks good if you have to force victims of sexual abuse to testify against their will. Does not usually go towards winning the trial. I don't dispute your claims that the prosecution’s main contributing witness is one of Gaetz's former best buddies who is just as scummy as Gaetz. None of this changes the fact that Gaetz was having a sexual relationship with a minor. Gaetz is scum. He has no experience practicing law as a prosecutor. That’s the man you want as our next AG?!?!
PTDS Michale Troll
6
Well, then I guess that means you think CW is "as gullible as hell" too, eh??
Also, the drama around the Gaetz appointment would serve to lessen the drama surrounding some of his other woefully unqualified nominees. Kind of a win-win for Trump as well as Gaetz, when looked at this way.
No, I do not think CW is "as gullible as hell" as you demonstrably have proven repeatedly that you are (as archived for years and years herein), but your admission that you are gullible is definitely a nice first step for you and your obvious ignorance on constant full display.
If it's your belief that CW is "as gullible as hell" because he basically made a statement that drama in the middle ring can take the focus off the multiple jokers in the clown cars in the other rings at the circus, that too is also very telling, and what it says is that you obviously believe that basic common sense is some kind of "12-D Chess" maneuvering. None of us here need prove your level of ignorance when you offer it up herein for free in your constant exercises in false equivalency, in the present instance combined with your other repetitive absolute bullshit same-old lame move of putting words in other people's mouths that they never said.
Kinda ballsy for you, a PTSD riddled Trump/America hating sycophant to call your host "gullible as hell", but hay..
They're definitely your words, and I agree you're obviously demonstrably "ballsy" sycophant with PTDS: President Trump's Dick Sucker. Your admission of your Democrat Donald disease is but the first step in a long road to recovery.
You troll always do something stoopid at least once a day, so... :D
Once!? The troll sells itself short. *laughs*
Michale
12
But I wanted to point out how far off the reservation Democrats have gone that they would hate on a KENNEDY that walks in the footsteps of the legendary JFK...
Which begs the question: How far off the reservation have Republicans gone that they would make the asinine false equivalency that Bobby Jr. "walks in the footsteps of the legendary JFK"?
BJ ran for POTUS as a Democrat and didn't make a dent because he is a stark-raving mad effing lunatic lying nutjob conspiracy theorist. BJ then abandoned that effort and ran as an Independent. BJ was recently "honored" as being the "winner" of PolitiFact's "Lie of the Year" for 2023 for multiple of his prolific lies:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_1Ajq3beAc
BJ's uncle John F. Kennedy served his country in the Navy. On the other hand, BJ sued the United States Navy.
JFK was elected to Congress in 1946 and was sworn into the 80th Congress at the age of 29 in 1947. He won reelection to the House of Representatives in 1948 and 1950. In 1952, JFK made a successful run for the Senate, and in 1960 he won his presidential run. Those are JFK's basic "footsteps."
So how the hell does anyone with two brain cells to rub together come to the conclusion that BJ "walks in the footsteps of the legendary JFK"? Rhetorical question. That is the kind of crazy that is colloquially referred to as "batshit."
The only ways in which BJ follows in his uncle's footsteps are:
* His last name is "Kennedy," the same as JFK who was assassinated while POTUS when BJ was nine years old.
* BJ's prolific adultery, or what he refers to as (his words) "my lust demons."
Nothing better indicates how far Dems have fallen into the abyss more than that...
I'd say nothing better demonstrates your repetitive exercises in false equivalency. Anyone who believes the asinine assertion that Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. follows in JFK's footsteps is a demonstrable effing uneducated gullible rube.