“A star is born — Elon!” Donald Trump shouted early Wednesday morning, giving because of Elon Musk for serving to him win the presidential election.
Once you’re a star, they allow you to do it, as Trump once said, talking of mauling ladies.
Now Trump and Musk, self-styled stars, are a match made in some form of E book-of-Revelation dwelling nightmare. With Trump’s victory, the duo appear to have put themselves safely out of the attain of the regulation.
Over the past months, as Musk, the richest man on this planet, has poured thousands and thousands into Trump’s marketing campaign by way of his America PAC, Trump has promised to carry Musk into authorities.
In September, Trump said he would create a “government efficiency commission” for Musk to steer. This activity power would perform a whole audit of the funds and efficiency of your complete federal authorities, with a view to smashing it to smithereens — that’s, “making it extra environment friendly.”
“I’d put [Musk] within the Cupboard, completely, however I don’t understand how he might try this with all of the issues he’s bought going,” Trump additionally stated. “However he might kind of, because the expression goes, seek the advice of with the nation and provide you with some excellent concepts.”
“Excellent concepts” that, let’s guess, gained’t precisely damage Musk’s backside line, which is at the moment set at more than $285 billion. (Within the hours since Trump’s victory, Musk gained $20 billion.)
For an individual who controls this a lot non-public wealth to have a starring function within the U.S. authorities is to open the door to conflicts of curiosity so immense that, if Trump didn’t already pose such an pressing menace to the survival of the republic, it could be all we’d discuss.
For another businessman, an opportunity to serve his nation would possibly seem to be a good suggestion. However Musk has held huge governmental energy for a very long time — and for years has exerted unholy affect over Washington.
To see only a fragment of what Musk would possibly do throughout a second Trump time period, look to the present state of play. NASA and the Pentagon now depend on Musk so profoundly that they might barely survive with out SpaceX, which controls U.S. house launches and web satellites. In 2023 alone, Musk’s firms signed $3 billion in contracts with 17 federal companies, together with the departments of State, Vitality and Agriculture.
Musk additionally holds a top secret security clearance, which provides him access to information that could gravely damage national security if disclosed.
And but Musk has reportedly been conspiring — no different phrase for it, in my estimation — with the leaders of powers extraordinarily hostile to america.
Based on the Wall Avenue Journal, Musk has had secret conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin since 2022. The conversations reportedly included Putin’s request for a favor for Chinese language chief Xi Jinping: Musk ought to keep away from turning on his Starlink web service for Taiwan.
Taiwan, in fact, is a United States ally, albeit an unofficial one. China and Russia are formally not. For anybody at any degree of presidency to scheme with adversaries would nearly actually be actionable. NASA administrator Invoice Nelson has referred to as for an investigation.
However as a result of this specific schemer is Elon Musk, it’s been palms off. Musk is an expansively free man, telling cable TV viewers about taking ketamine and turning Twitter-now-X, which nonetheless has round 300 million every day customers, into his very personal Pravda — a darkish MAGA propaganda web site so influential that Rolling Stone dubbed Musk and X “the most important purveyors of on-line disinformation.”
Within the early hours of election day, Musk shared a video on X that glorified Jan. 6 and flashed QAnon references. IBM, Disney and Coca-Cola used to promote on Twitter; on X, you’re extra more likely to see entries from the far-right, pro-Trump Epoch Occasions, a media group affiliated with the Falun Gong non secular motion.
Extra than 20 recent federal investigations or critiques have focused Musk’s firms. Some are fueled by considerations in regards to the security of Tesla automobiles and environmental injury attributable to SpaceX rockets. Tesla has additionally confronted a raft of lawsuits charging racial discrimination and harassment at its vegetation, union interference and wage theft.
In October, the Washington Post published evidence that Musk, after coming to Palo Alto on a pupil visa in 1995, overstayed his visa and labored illegally within the U.S. for years. For Musk, who as of late echoes Trump’s spitting nativist rage about undocumented immigrants, the publicity of this secret might have meant deportation — and even lack of U.S. citizenship.
Immediately, with Trump’s victory, any saber-rattling by federal companies or immigration watchdogs appears nearly laughable. Deportation? Lack of citizenship? Investigations, even?
Positive, for different immigrants who’ve overstayed a visa. Positive, for Trump’s political enemies.
However completely not for Musk, mega-American, the brightest star in Trump’s ominous firmament.
Virginia Heffernan is a contributing editor at Wired journal. Her e-newsletter might be discovered at virginiaheffernan.substack.com.
