Two Schools Of Thought On Musk’s Status In Trump World Post WI Race

First of all, look at what they do, not what they say. Donald Trump was doing his game show-esque Liberation Day folly in the Rose Garden on Wednesday. Elon Musk was nowhere in sight. Plus, Trump hasn’t mentioned Musk or the blow out in Wisconsin on Tuesday, when Susan Crawford beat Knee Pad Brad Schimel like a drum. It’s like it doesn’t exist. Bookies were speculating that Trump would claim the Wisconsin Supreme Court justice seat was rigged and stolen — but so far, he hasn’t said a word. It just has vanished off of Trump’s radar. So the question becomes, did Elon Musk vanish off Trump’s radar as well? Two schools of thought on that. Politico is running a story that Musk is on his way out.

Musk’s looming retreat comes as some Trump administration insiders and many outside allies have become frustrated with his unpredictability and increasingly view the billionaire as a political liability, a dynamic that was thrown into stark relief Tuesday when a conservative judge Musk vocally supported lost his bid for a Wisconsin Supreme Court seat by 10 points.

It also represents a stark shift in the Trump-Musk relationship from a month ago, when White House officials and allies were predicting Musk was “here to stay” and that Trump would find a way to blow past the 130-day time limit.

That’s one school of thought. Another one is from Josh Marshall in his newsletter today. He says fuggedabout it.

So is Elon really out, as the White House is claiming to beltway news outlets? Don’t bet on it.

First of all, he’s almost certainly not leaving DOGE.

Second of all, it would hardly matter if he did. He’ll keep running DOGE even if he nominally steps aside. Remember that at least in terms of what his minions are telling federal judges he doesn’t even run it now. The entire entity is run by his deputies and powered by the fear of his money and his power. He couldn’t stop running it without dismantling it. And of course neither is going to happen.

Thirdly, Elon Musk is now in the position of every dictator whose already killed too many people. They have to hold on to power because giving it up is too dangerous. Will the Justice Department stop wielding national police power to defend Tesla’s market cap? Unlikely. And without Elon’s presence and the fear he inspires, more facts about the crimes and the consequences of his wilding spree will dribble out. DOGE has always run on fear and Musk inspires the fear. Will people decide that they can go back to maybe buying a Tesla? I doubt it, because of items one and two and item three as well.

Fourthly and lastly, there’s far too much damage and blood on the ground for Elon to step aside. Would anyone have cared if bin Laden had decided to “step back” in November 2001 and focus on his other terror affiliates? Unlikely. What had happened had happened. There was no going back. This is all the more the case now because the details of what has already happened, the consequences and pain for ordinary Americans. The laws broken, the money squandered, the national assets plundered are only now beginning to become clear. That won’t stop. And as we saw in Wisconsin, Musk cannot help but put himself front and center even when it’s objectively crazy to do so. That’s who he is and no one ceases to be who they are.

As Musk himself said with characteristic grandiosity: “This is a revolution.” And so it is. You don’t step back from them. They drive to their conclusion or they fail. They may sometimes break down into stalemate. But no one steps back. That’s not how it works. They can’t even if they try. Not just Musk but everyone who enabled him, justified him — they all remain on the line for it. DOGE was always about a blitzkrieg, creating facts on the ground before people could find out fully what was happening, before even the full impacts were felt, before people entered the buildings after the firing squads had moved on. We’re moving into the finding out stage so of course he wants to step back. But it’s all beyond job titles. Too much business is unfinished.

Which is true? Again, look at what Trump is doing. He’s distancing himself from Elon and I think you’ll see more of that. Trump hates losers. Elon will become a coffee boy if he keeps losing. That much is certain. So for now, Trump is busy with his own agenda and Elon is not the man of the hour. He absolutely would have been if Wisconsin had gone a different direction. But it didn’t and so here we are.

And it’s possible Musk may recalibrate. Remember, he’s brand new to politics. He only knows winning, because he got into Trump’s inner circle, bought Twitter, invested in the election. This is his first loss. He’s not like the rest of us who know that politics is the ecstasy of winning and the agony of defeat. Now he does know. Maybe he will change some of his ways?

Personally, I’m going to keep an ear to the ground and see if those million dollar lotto paychecks of Elon’s are good or not. I have a feeling that that’s going to blow up. And that will tarnish Musk’s aura as well. Again, the metaphysical principle Everything Trump Touches Dies is showing itself to be alive and well.

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Zoomers, if you can find a few dollars to spare, we can use it. We’re entering month six of Trump Depression Syndrome, a malady that struck the nation the night of November 5. Believe me, I suffer from it and would run, too, except I’m in this business. So until Democrats decide to come back to the fight, we need to keep going somehow. Thank you. Ursula

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