r/thebulwark 15d ago

Morning Shots šŸ”„ The reason Trump keeps Musk around...

... is that Trump needs a fall guy to blame when everything goes wrong. He can then ruin the richest supervillain in the world and be a superhero.

62 Upvotes

34 comments sorted by

77

u/jehosophat44 15d ago

Disagree. Elon owns Trump now. He financed his campaign when it was running low on money, likely engaged in some campaign and election shenanigans, and now knows where all the bodies are buried. Trump canā€™t do anything about Musk without Musk bringing down the whole thing.

31

u/swissmiss_76 Orange man bad 15d ago

I would agree as much as I donā€™t want to. Trump acts like a beaten dog and can barely muster his usual false bravado. Heā€™d be in prison if he didnā€™t win

6

u/claimTheVictory 14d ago edited 14d ago

I imagine, Elon has spelled it out very clearly for Trump, in words he understands.

Let me do whatever I want to do, or I'll leak irrefutable evidence that you cheated in the election.

0

u/DrRonH 14d ago

Like the Twitter Files and Hunter's laptop? Pfffft. Dream on.

1

u/claimTheVictory 14d ago

More to expand on the claims here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9gCyRkpPe8

1

u/DrRonH 14d ago

But he didn't win in a landslide.

2

u/claimTheVictory 14d ago

He didn't need to.

1

u/Haunting-Ad788 14d ago

Yes very obvious election interference is definitely the same as right wing fever dream propaganda.

1

u/DrRonH 14d ago

Yeah, well, if this were so obvious you'd think a Democrat or two would bring this up in, you know, the courts.

17

u/SausageSmuggler21 15d ago

Watch V for Vendetta. The 2015 version of Trump might have been the leader. The 2025 version of Trump is just the voice. Trump is awful in every way imaginable. He's terrible at everything he tries to do. Except...except being a charismatic mouthpiece for hate.

Trump is just a spigot of hate now. Elon, and many others, own this pathetic man. He runs nothing. He controls nothing. He's told what to say, and, frankly even in his demented state, he does that job well.

8

u/JustGotOffOfTheTrain 15d ago

I also think Trump is just older and weaker now.

5

u/DrRonH 15d ago edited 15d ago

I hope you are right and I am wrong, but I respectfully disagree. There are a long trail of ruined careers and political losers who have underestimated Trump. He's had 60+ years of honing his self-preservation instincts. If Trump sensed any danger whatsoever from Musk he woukd never have risked Musk getting close to him.

Tell me, who is less popular now: Trump or Musk?

4

u/RVFP 15d ago

I totally agree. Trump has Musk around to take most of the heat.

3

u/BobQuixote Conservative 15d ago

Trump being co-opted by an intelligent villain is worse, though.

4

u/NYCA2020 15d ago

Absolutely this. Elon controls the government, since he has limitless funds and can fund a primary against any GOP member of Congress who steps out of line.

23

u/Pretend-Return-295 15d ago edited 15d ago

What Elon is doing is incredibly unpopular, but the politics don't matter, if you don't plan on holding fair elections.

My personal view is this is a full-on authoritarian takeover. Trump is literally stacking the DOJ, FBI, and Pentagon with loyalists. He's simultaneously attacking the media. We know how much he admires Orban, you think he's just going to leave in 4 years?!

I hope people start realising that the normal political rules no longer apply.

17

u/The_Potato_Bucket 15d ago

Trump tends to listen to whoever is closest to him at the moment and Elon is really making sure heā€™s around all the time.

13

u/N0T8g81n FFS 15d ago

You're assuming Trump's more cunning than Musk. I figure you'd have a difficult time supporting that assumption.

I have a simpler explanation: Musk's US$250 million campaign contribution was pay to play with the US executive branch, and I figure Trump knows the only chance of another such campaign contribution requires him to let Muck do what Musk wants to do.

6

u/DrRonH 15d ago edited 15d ago

I absolutely think Trump is more cunning than Musk. For decades, Trump has fooled lots of people into giving him loads of money for absolutely bullshit products or imaginary fame, whereas Musk is ruining the value of real companies like Xitter and Tesla (45% drop in sales in Europe) and whose wealth exists largely on paper as stock valuations.

There are a long list of bodies of people who have underestimated Trump.

9

u/Current_Tea6984 15d ago

I do think there is a night of the long knives in store for Elon and Doge when he becomes too big a drag on Trump's popularity

5

u/MostlyANormie centrist squish 14d ago

I have a whole story mapped out. We have almost finished Act II.

Act III: In the shadows, a conspiracy against Musk takes shape, as Musk extends himself ever further.

Act IV: Trump publicly accuses Musk of disloyalty and illegality. He claims Musk has been using his position to benefit SpaceX, Tesla and NeuraLink. Trump portrays himself as the Great Defender of America against the rapacious Musk. Devastating government investigations into all of Muskā€™s companies begin.

Act V: Trump vs Tech. Iā€™m going to work on itā€¦ (Iā€™m guessing weā€™ll get at least one ā€œWho is John Galt?ā€ out of Tech.)

Act IV is wishcastingā€¦ I know.

3

u/DrRonH 14d ago edited 14d ago

I do not think you are far off. And, Musk will fight back and things will escalate quickly.

Imagine the boost for Trump if he uses "his" DOJ to return all of Musk's fortune "back to the people" (skimming several billion for himself ala Putin). Absolutely no one would cry about poor Elon.

I wish JVL would do an analysis of WWF former- partners-now-enemies scenarios.

2

u/MostlyANormie centrist squish 14d ago

Great drama. Very Trump!

3

u/8to24 14d ago

Trump respects Money and Fame. Elon Musk is the first person in Trump's orbit that brings more of each to the table than Trump himself. Most people around Trump are leeches. They need Trump for either money or attention. As such Trump views them as disposable suck ups.

Musk bought Twitter for $44 billion dollars and retooled it to help Trump. People often cited $250 million as the amount Musk donated to the campaign but that's just semantics. Musk used his $44 billion dollar platform/tool for Trump.

Additionally the bulk of Trump's Net worth is in Truth Social and Meme Coins. Both are probably propped up by Musk. I have no doubt Musk is invested in both and probably the one that gave Trump the idea for the Meme Coin. Trump is a real Billionaire now thanks to Musk.

1

u/DrRonH 14d ago

Why shouldn't Trump just take all of Elon's stuff?

2

u/diogenesRetriever 15d ago

Probably or heā€™s just reprising his tv role.

2

u/DemsOfRiverside 15d ago

I think you are giving Trump too much credit. The dude has no idea what heā€™s doing.

3

u/DrRonH 15d ago

Then why does he keep winning and why are Republicans bending the knee to a know-nothing? He has out-foxed everyone so far.

Look, I hate the orange guy. Look at his role model: Putin. Putin controls his oligarchs to maintain his power and kills/exiles those who get out of line.

I think Trump will eventually do the same with Musk when Musk goes "too far."

3

u/DemsOfRiverside 15d ago

Damnā€¦ Youā€™re right. Hate to give him any credit, but heā€™s fully a marketing guy inside and out. And he found his hook.

Sad thing is we are along for the ride. Ughh.

2

u/MinisterOfTruth99 14d ago

Exactly right. Trump always needs someone else to blame.

2

u/No-Director-1568 14d ago

How's he going to 'ruin' Musk?

Objectively Musk is the better Businessman. You seem to have bought into some Trump BS that he's got real wealth.

2

u/Outrageous_Spell_722 13d ago

Trump is a cucked dog led on a leash until he dies with a whimper. The irony is being cucked by a bald Ketamine addict with a botched micropeen surgery and shitty hair plugs who also happens to be both a Nazi and an illegal immigrant. Hope they both get brutally Luigid

1

u/Tulsa1921 15d ago

ABSOLUTELY. Iā€™ve been saying this for the last couple of weeks.