Democrats are mocking President-elect Trump by claiming that billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk is making decisions on his behalf.
And because Musk is set to play a key role in President Trump's second term as co-chair of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and as a close ally of the president, the nickname “President Musk” has become a scandal. It remains to be seen whether this will cause The rift between the famously volatile president-elect and the world's richest man.
Lawmakers launched the effort after Musk helped scrap a bipartisan spending deal that took months to pass.
Rep. Ami Bera (D-Calif.) pointed out that Musk launched a public opposition campaign long before President Trump issued a statement criticizing the deal, suggesting that Musk had no prior intention to do so. Even if he hadn't, he suggested that he might have forced the next president to intervene. .
“I think Elon Musk will step in and Trump will be forced to step in,” Berra said.
Vella added that this dynamic could cause problems in the future. The two most powerful people in the world may be allies at the moment, but if their interests and egos clash, they could be headed for a messy divorce.
“What we learned from former President Trump is that he doesn't want to share the spotlight with anyone, so what's going to happen to that?” Bella asked.
Musk was tasked with leading DOGE to find ways to make government more efficient and reduce waste. However, he has become personally involved in the fight over government funding, participating in key meetings with President Trump, and after Rep. Kay Granger's reported remarks about “basic cognitive testing for elected officials.” His role appears to be increasing, as he shares his views on the most important issues, such as asking for (R-Texas) had health issues that kept him away from the Capitol for months.
Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), who served as the No. 2 Democrat for 20 years, is among those who now refer to the billionaire entrepreneur as “President Musk.”
“We collectively came to an agreement” during last week's chaotic standoff, Hoyer said, adding, “That monkey wrench was Musk's 50 to 100 tweets that turned the Republican party around. ” he said.
Trump and Musk have had a close relationship since before the election and appear to remain on good terms despite a power relationship that some say is dominated by the tech mogul. is.
Political watchers are wondering when the relationship between the two titans will sour, especially as Musk is working closely with the Trump campaign in the lead-up to the DOGE showdown. Even some Republicans think it cannot be done.
“I think at some point there's going to be a rift because history has taught us… most people don't last long in Trump's world. Maybe Mr. Musk will have people rebel against it, but that's not the case. History tells us that,” Republican strategist Doug Hay said.
Hay called Democratic efforts to undercut Trump by labeling Musk as president “just trolling” and argued that “it's not necessarily going to be effective.”
Trump's spokesperson fired back that Democrats “only lost the House, the Senate, and the Presidency over the past four years because their terrible policy proposals have failed the American people.”
Trump-Vance transition press secretary Anna Kelly added: “Democrats have lost everything, so they can only take a humanitarian attack.”
There appear to be a variety of motives among the Democrats who support Musk under the false title of president.
Some believe this simply reflects the reality of who is really in charge, and the extraordinary fact that an unelected person has so much power over public policy. Some say they want to shine a bright light on
“The facts speak for themselves. It was Mr. Musk who disrupted the bill in the first place, it was Mr. Musk who helped finance the president's campaign, it was Mr. Musk who stood in front of Mr. Trump — and it's difficult. Of course it was Mr. Musk,” said Congressman Gregory Meeks of New York. “So it's clear to me that there's some sort of alignment between the two of them in terms of what's the best way to run the country.”
Meeks suggested it would be easier to work with Trump if Musk didn't intervene in policy discussions. “It will probably help,” he said.
Still, the Democratic Party's “mask president” campaign is a political strategy aimed at driving a wedge between billionaires who play by their own rules and an incoming president who demands loyalty but has no integrity. There is also a sense of being a part of it. They are tolerant of challenges to their authority.
While most people might not say it out loud, some lawmakers suggested that was at least part of the goal.
Asked whether Democrats were trying to incite that conflict, Berra remained mum.
“We would never do something like that,” he quipped.
Democrats repeatedly challenged Mr. Musk amid an impasse over government funding, which was resolved just before Friday's deadline. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) claimed that Mr. Musk “pulled the rug out from under him,” and Rep. Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) said that Mr. Musk “has the power to make decisions.” ” said Congresswoman Lois Frankel (Democratic Party).
Former New York congressman Joe Crowley, who called Musk Trump his “second vice president,” said the amount of influence the South African-born billionaire has as an unelected official is “precedented.” There is no such thing.”
“You'd be hard-pressed to find someone who initially came from a foreign country and had such a huge impact on government outcomes,” he says. “We'll see what happens. There's no question he's involved and will continue to be involved until the president decides enough is enough.”
