All along, we’ve said that it would be much worse if a more capable version of Trump came along whose motivations were darker and who actually had a plan. Musk is that person.
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Less than a month into Donald Trump’s second presidency, it’s clear that his goal is to completely remake the United States. And by “his goal,” we mean Elon Musk’s.
We can say this with a high degree of confidence because, if Trump had wanted to do all of the things currently on the agenda, he would have done them already (or tried to) after his 2016 victory — when he ruled for two years with Republican majorities in Congress.
Therefore, it is fair to conclude that, especially domestically, the world’s richest man is running the show now.
We, and many other people, have said before that, while Trump is a real menace, the threat he poses is manageable because, at the end of the day, he is a self-absorbed idiot who cares more about his image and personal gain than anything else.
Sure, his various mental illnesses cause some problems, but just as often they get in his way.
The bottom line is, destroying the foundations of a country is hard work… the kind that somebody who’d rather play golf, be adored, and get richer by marketing his manufactured image just doesn’t want to do.
All along, we’ve said that it would be much worse if a more capable version of Trump came along whose motivations were darker and who actually had a plan.
Elon Musk is that person.
He seems intent on creating a country (and a world) in which people like him, i.e., right-wing billionaires, can do whatever they want without having to answer to anybody.
There is precious little accountability for them as it is.
Modern-day oligarchs are so powerful that very few rules apply to them. Instead of playing by even those minimal rules, Musk has chosen to wage war against the courts and regulators in the US and the European Union who enforce them.
And for this fight, he needed allies like Trump and Europe’s far-right parties, who not only want to tear down existing systems but also share his white nationalist ideology.
In essence, Musk, who is far from popular, is like a parasite that requires a host to thrive.
That’s why he latched onto Trump.
To understand the difference between the two, let’s review how they spent the last few days.
The president signed an executive order prohibiting trans women and girls from competing in women’s sports. This is a minor issue that affects relatively few people, but it is hugely popular with Republicans (and even a majority of everybody else), so Trump can be assured that people will view him favorably for taking this action.
In addition, the signing ceremony created a great photo op of him being surrounded by little girls who would presumably not be impacted by the trans-in-sports issue since pre-teen girls are generally taller and more mature than boys of the same age.
But that’s not all. He also promised to address another issue foremost on the minds of Americans.
“I will be signing an Executive Order next week ending the ridiculous Biden push for Paper Straws, which don’t work,” he announced. “BACK TO PLASTIC!”
In the meantime, Musk put a wrecking ball to vast swaths of the federal government and tasked a team of dodgy tech bros to do some shady stuff. One of them resigned after it was revealed that he had voiced some pretty racist views on social media. However, seeing how that seems to be more of an asset than a detriment in this administration, Musk and Vice President JD Vance intervened and the eugenics fan was quickly rehired.
In other words, one guy (the one who was elected) is mugging for the cameras and taking performative actions that he hopes will make Americans love him. The other guy (the one nobody elected and whom Americans don’t like) is bent on destroying the country.
The remedy seems simple.
In order to return to the good old days of Trump doing his damage in a very Trumpian way, the parasite has to be detached from the host.
That’s not an easy thing to accomplish since Musk, though he may not be the tech genius everybody makes him out to be, is adept at flattering the president to ensure that he remains in Trump’s inner circle and is given carte blanche to do whatever he wants with the federal government.
I love @realDonaldTrump as much as a straight man can love another man
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 7, 2025
Trump’s vow to bring back plastic straws is a great example.
While many Americans may be happy to once again be able to pollute the planet with plastic products that kill animals and, eventually, find their way into the bodies of their children, this is hardly the kind of accomplishment that gets you on Mount Rushmore.
But Musk acts like it is the best idea of all time.
Greatest President ever! pic.twitter.com/U8BuPVwSwd
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 7, 2025
Musk is surely happy that Trump focuses on these kinds of things while handing the reins of government over to him and some racist college kids.
So, what can those who oppose the US president and his Reichskanzler do?
So far, Democrats and the Resistance 2.0 have fought back by writing letters and filing lawsuits. That would be great if we believed that the relevant institutions, on up to the Supreme Court, would hold. They may not.
For example, a federal judge on Saturday prohibited Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency Evisceration (DOGE) from accessing the personal and financial data of millions of Americans kept at the Treasury Department, and ordered the destruction of “any and all copies of material” Musk’s youth-brigade proteges had downloaded.
The judge noted that, otherwise, irreparable harm may be done.
That is the vaunted constitutional system of “checks and balances” at work.
But what if Musk doesn’t comply? Who is going to make him? Unless Trump orders them to, certainly not Attorney General Pam Bondi or (when confirmed) FBI Director Kash Patel.
There is only one way to prevent DOGE from wreaking havoc, and that’s for Trump to sever his alliance with Musk. For that to happen, the president has to be convinced either that his right-hand man is upstaging him or that he is hurting Trump’s personal reputation and fortunes.
The most promising course of action would be to convince the president that the country sees Musk as the puppet master pulling all of the strings and that, as a result, Trump’s “legacy” will be tarnished.
There are already some signs that Musk’s prominence might be irking the president.
Prior to being sworn in, there were a couple of instances when Trump reassured his followers that Musk — who contributed over $250 million to the president’s election campaign — was not about to usurp power.
And, on Friday, Trump looked displeased when a reporter asked him about a Time magazine cover showing the head of DOGE sitting behind the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office.
In addition, there have been a few stories about “rifts” between the two men. However, up to this point, the notion that Musk is in danger of being dismissed from Trump’s inner circle is just wishful thinking.
It will take a real effort to drive a wedge between Trump and Musk because, right now, this partnership works for both of them. On the other hand, how hard can it be to pit a couple of world-class narcissists against each other?
It is worth finding out the answer to that question — and quickly.
Unfortunately, Democratic Party leaders and their allies don’t have a great track record when it comes to exploiting the president’s psychoses. In the past, whenever they attempted a promising strategy, such as ridiculing Trump or calling him “weird,” they soon abandoned it for one reason or another.
Now, however, the stakes are much higher.
Because it is no longer just Trump doing real damage to US norms and institutions; it is Musk trying to get rid of them altogether for personal gain and gratification.
