Because of his celebrity, larger-than-life persona, command of the media and vast wealth, Donald Trump bulldozed the political establishment and was elected president twice.
And because of his celebrity, his larger-than-life persona, command of the media and unimaginable gobs of money, Elon Musk poses a potential challenge to Trump, Speaker Mike Johnson, Senate Majority Leader John Thune and the Republican infrastructure both in Washington and beyond. We’ll see how serious it ultimately becomes.
Musk’s very public breakup with Trump over the last week was entertaining for many, especially Democrats and Trump haters. It was also a bit cartoonish. Yet the insult hurling obscures the larger problem facing Republicans.
Musk is the richest man in the world with a fortune of $368 billion. He owns one of the most important social media platforms on Earth. Despite many Americans’ misgivings about DOGE or some of his recent policy positions, Musk is seen by millions of admirers as a technological visionary and a business genius without parallel.
The South African-born Musk can go toe-to-toe with Trump in a way that perhaps no other Republican has been able to since the president descended that Trump Tower escalator in June 2015. Musk has vast vulnerabilities – look at what happened to Tesla’s stock on Thursday – but also has essentially infinite resources to deploy if he chooses to do so.
By late Thursday night, Musk posted a number of messages indicating he wants a truce. This makes sense because he has more to lose than Trump does. The GOP base will stick with Trump. Musk’s biggest worry is stockholders, who are much more fickle. Politico reported Musk’s camp will speak to Trump’s as soon as today; the two camps were one just a few weeks ago.
If the breakup holds — and there’s no guarantee it does — Musk could dump a small sliver of his wealth into dozens of Republican primaries, potentially costing the GOP its majorities in Congress and hurting Trump in the process. He could put money into a third-party operation to siphon off Republican votes or run TV ads bashing Trump’s agenda.
It all depends on the mercurial Musk’s pain tolerance and the state of his rapidly unraveling relationship with the president.
Yet Musk insulted Trump in deeply personal terms, saying the president’s name can be found in the Jeffrey Epstein files and that was the reason they haven’t been released yet.
Musk also claimed credit for Trump’s November victory. But for our audience — and the Trump presidency — that’s nothing compared to his biting criticism of the reconciliation package.
Musk took to X — which he owns, of course – to tell his over 220 million followers that the reconciliation package is a pork-laden, deficit-swelling piece of trash. Musk asked his followers to call Capitol Hill to urge GOP lawmakers to vote no.
Absent a detente, consider what this could mean. A flood of calls to members’ offices in the next week, saying they shouldn’t vote for the reconciliation bill. These efforts make a difference.
Think back through modern congressional history and you’ll find a litany of examples of interest groups lighting up switchboards and forcing lawmakers to pause before big votes.
Alternatively, Musk can back off, allowing Trump and Republicans to try to get this bill through Congress and reap the benefits — or suffer the consequences.
Republican Hill leaders seemed like deer caught in headlights during the Musk-Trump barrages. Thune didn’t address reporters as the feud was heating up Thursday afternoon. Johnson initially bolted past a group of reporters waiting for him at the Memorial Door — where the chatty and media-savvy speaker frequently gaggles.
When Johnson reemerged from his office, Johnson briefly chatted with reporters.
“I know all of you are very concerned about tweets, but I think the American people are concerned about things that really matter,” Johnson said. “And that is making their taxes low, making their economy work, making the border secure, making energy dominance a big thing again and that’s what our bill is going to do and that’s what I’m focused on.”
Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), a hardline conservative, said the break up was “bound to happen” because Trump and Musk are both “high-profile, strong-ego leaders.”
“Its unfortunate,” Norman said. “I hate it for the country but Elon is a strong personality. It doesn’t dim the fact of what he’s done for Americans. Two strong egos have a right to say things.”
The Musk-Trump flap may turn out to be just that – a temporary blip. Again, it’s up to Musk how far he wants to take this. If he wants a feud now or in the future, Trump will give him one.
Perhaps the biggest lesson – for the millionth time – is that for Trump, all allegiances are situational. Every relationship is a transaction. Trump will exploit a situation or person until they’re no longer of use to him and then move on. That’s never going to change.
Reconciliation news: Major trade groups for international companies with operations in the United States are pressing Thune and Senate Finance Committee Chair Mike Crapo to drop “Section 899” from the reconciliation bill in a new letter.
The regime could raise taxes for foreign companies with U.S. operations by as much as 20% if their home countries charge “unfair foreign taxes.” It hits back at the global minimum tax deal the Biden administration negotiated.
The message comes after the tax cleared a key procedural hurdle. The Senate parliamentarian ruled that it falls under the Senate Finance Committee’s jurisdiction, which means it’s in line with Republicans’ reconciliation instructions.
