File this under the single most predictable development concerning the transition. As discussed several times to this point, Elon Musk is now skating on some thin ice regarding his relationship with the president elect and will have to navigate some dicey territory. It is just ridiculously obvious that both Musk and Trump are using each other for their own personal gain – not wholly unexpected, nor necessarily awful (It happens, it’s politics) and yet this is a unique situation and should be watched carefully. The risk/reward actually impacts the nation more than most.
Musk is in a bit of a no-win situation. The closer he gets to his real goal – close “enough” to Trump as to really influence policy, the closer he gets to being seen as a liability. Trump is in a similar dynamic in that Musk is not a named official to anything and yet the more he uses Musk, the more it looks like Trumps just after the money, and – worse, controlled (Trump hates that). Oh, and there is the fact that it is Donald Trump who is the incoming president and it really doesn’t matter who is next to that person, it won’t be the guy in the Oval Office sent to the lockers when it goes bad. It will be the one who threatens to take any “glory” (To the extent it can safely should be called such) as we’ve seen before.
It looks like the process has already started according to a new CNN report. The really troubling dynamic is set out below.
Breaking: According to CNN Elon Musk was told to stop outshining Trump. Trump is the King, not Elon.
Trump is more popular than Elon and Trump wants to keep it that way. There are huge doubts Musk can cut $2 trillion. Also, no way to buy MSNBC from Comcast. 1/2 pic.twitter.com/gGXBkVouOr— Chris Borkowski (@cborkowski) November 24, 2024
It is likely that finding waste to cut from the government might be the single easiest job on earth. “Do we really need that?” isn’t all that tough if one has the requisite power. Having said that, it is nearly impossible to obtain said power because the cuts would normally have to go through Congress, which first appropriates money. Additionally, it should all depend on reasonable cuts. Under no circumstances should the money be drained from big important policies like earned benefits – such as healthcare or Social Security. If anyone wants those cuts they best come from a new law passed by Congress. If Congress so chooses, well – they always had that option.
But the report mentions something much deeper. Musk only holds an unofficial position, one that almost inevitably leads to someone in some entity seeking to take advantage of Musk’s power – with no threat to Musk doing anything improper – he can’t be fired. (Though, when involving a foreign country, one is supposed to register as a foreign agent.) Enter TikTok referenced above asking Musk to advocate its position to Trump. Money wouldn’t change hands. TikTok couldn’t possibly pay Musk enough to be worth his time. No, “payment” would come from twisting Musk’s arm. Imagine a scenario where TikTok prohibited Musk’s “X” from using TikToc videos. All those puppy clips would be gone along with a ton of “X” users diving out a wasteland of nothing but political stuff going back and forth.
Imagine that. It sure looks like Musk isn’t in a position to say “No.” He can’t let puppies go! At least not easily. And so the company is in the door. Now how about X-Finity and access to all those satellites. Play the same game – though American. How is this all weird and not politics as usual? Well, nearly everyone who normally gets pressed on policy is in an official position to influence policy and would have any personal interests set aside in a blind trust to ensure there are no conflicts. It may now be a very quaint idea but it is the norm.
Moreover, Trump is famously wary of China and likely Chinese companies. But now what if he has to factor in losing Musk and his money because Musk – too, might hold the whole matter over Trump. Now we have the whole situation snowballing out of control.
This is all before one gets to the personal issues regarding ego. Neither Trump nor Musk is used to hearing no and both demand the spotlight. Again, an American president is going to get that spotlight in the end but that doesn’t mean that Musk doesn’t want to be close by nor does it mean that Trump won’t keep Musk close… “enough.”
And this is how it goes. It’s how it goes when conflicts aren’t tolerated and all steps done to ensure it’s not a worry – or even the appearance of an issue. It is why policy should be hashed out among official advisers. They actually should fire each other. It’ll probably happen soon enough – much as they try to hold on.
God Bless:Â I can be reached at [email protected], @JasonMiciak, and now on Blue Sky, a more traditional platform.
Two narcissists in a head-butting contest—sit back and watch the show!
hi, wonder if they know there are two Kays here! I’ve been around since 20-21 or so (I think), but think I’ll just add my last initial for shits and giggles lol!