Is Donald Trump Afraid of Elon Musk?
www.vanityfair.com
The president has long operated without anything resembling worry when it comes to appointments or executive action, but as his most powerful—and richest—political ally chainsaws his way through the federal government, some observers wonder if Trump might be tasting his own medicine.

Summary

Elon Musk has amassed significant power in Trump’s White House, leading DOGE and embedding his tech team into federal systems.

Musk is using his X account like a personal White House pressroom podium to dominate the news cycle, pushing conspiracies and undermining Trump’s announcements.

Ironically, Trump now struggles to control Musk, who is doing to Trump what Trump did to the GOP—pushing limits and amassing a devoted fan base. Trump knows that Musk is willing to out-crazy him.

While Trump tolerates him for now, tensions may rise as Musk’s influence grows.

  • Snot FlickermanEnglish
    60·
    4 hours ago

    If Trump isn’t scared already, he should be.

    Trump may understand old media, but Musk understands new media much much better.

    I’d assume that Trump assumes “Musk can’t take power because he’s an immigrant” as though Trump himself isn’t making laws like those completely meaningless with how he is approaching things.

    I think that’s part of the trouble, Trump really doesn’t understand all the systems that allowed his wealth to grow in the USA. He’s busy tearing down the same systems that allowed him to be such a worthless waste that failed upward for eight decades.

    He’s like the joke about how libertarians are housecats. He’s entirely dependent on a system he doesn’t understand and he’s tearing it down.

    Musk and his ilk actually have a real plan beyond just tearing shit down meaninglessly, Trumps plan never went farther than where we are now.

    • thefluffiest@feddit.nl
      1·
      14 minutes ago

      I think that’s part of the trouble, Trump really *doesn’t* understand all the systems that allowed his wealth to grow in the USA. He’s busy tearing down the same systems that allowed him to be such a worthless waste that failed upward for eight decades.

      You’re talking about Trump here, but really it describes the US as a whole. Americans don’t understand how the whole international system and “them paying for it” is really the basis for American hegemony, wealth and indispensability. ‘American exceptionalism’ is made possible by the global system they’re now tearing down.

      • CharlesDarwin@lemmy.worldEnglish
        9·
        3 hours ago

        Indeed. I don’t think fElon understands media at all. It’s why he bought xitter - to push his posts by force. He doesn’t understand anything other than money can buy you a platform, which is rather obvious.

      • Snot FlickermanEnglish
        16·
        4 hours ago

        Musks money is honestly more of a house of cards than Trumps. It relies heavily on subsidies and stock market hype.

        Tesla sales are tanking and they hardly make any cars. The stock is painfully obviously manipulated and pumped to an insane degree. It’s valuation is not based in reality.

        SpaceX is deeply US government funded, and I’m almost positive Musk is going to dump the pretense of going to Mars and make it clear all his work is going to go towards new ICBMs.

        As much as it is garbage, Trump actually has a real estate empire. Trumps is a house of cards to an extent as well, but Musk has the much bigger fall to make if reality catches up to his companies.

        • MutilationWave@lemmy.world
          2·
          2 hours ago

          Trump was never a billionaire before the truth social stock IPO. On paper now he is, but if the stock tanks he’s fucked. Unable to sell for six months I think I read?