Elon Musk Is The Living Exemplar Of Why Billionaires Should Not Be Permitted To Exist

Musk + Trump = Hell On Earth

Whether he’s the richest man in the world or the richest man in America or the second or third richest, Elon Musk is one of the most dangerous people in the country— and the world. Musk's political maneuvers, in collaboration with figures like Trump, Bolsonaro, Mohammed bin Salman, Netanyahu represent a convergence of corporate power and right-wing politics threatening to exacerbate social inequalities, while undermining democratic institutions and prioritizing elite interests over the common good. Presumably, his engagement with controversial authoritarian leaders are driven by business interests but they are also a direct threat that he will substantially support regimes with fascistic practices. His wealth and influence, paired with his supposed libertarian leanings, manifest in opposition to social safety nets and public welfare programs. His go-to focus on privatized solutions and skepticism towards government intervention in markets will always undermine efforts to expand healthcare, education and other critical public services.

As if things couldn’t get any worse, yesterday a quintet of Wall Street Journal reporters looked into the budding bromance between Musk and Trump.

Emily Glazer, Robbie Whelan, Alex Leary, Carla Lombardo and Dana Mattioli wrote that Señor T and Mask have “discussed ways to give Musk formal input and influence over policies related to border security and the economy, both issues on which Musk has grown more vocal.”

Musk and far right GOP fat cat Nelson Peltz, have already put into action an initiative “in which Musk and his political allies host gatherings of powerful business leaders across the country to try to convince them not to support President Biden’s re-election campaign.”

As recently as two years ago, Trump and Musk were publicly trading insults. But in recent months, the two men are developing a friendly rapport and talk on the phone several times a month as the election nears, the people familiar with their talks said.

The pair have held discussions on immigration, technology and science, including the U.S. Space Force. Their views and interests have grown more aligned, the people said, with Musk calling Trump directly on his cellphone.

Trump has told Musk, one of the world’s wealthiest people, he wants to find a way to get him more involved if he wins in November.

Musk— who has a long history of flouting convention in the business world— has signaled he isn’t interested in simply writing a check to a super PAC, which can accept unlimited amounts of money from donors and is a popular way for the billionaire class to support candidates. Instead, he has elected to use his clout in elite business and technology circles to help defeat Biden by galvanizing the support of influential allies.

… [Trump] is impressed with Musk’s wealth and has embraced the rightward turn of the Tesla CEO’s politics. Musk has said his politics are “fairly moderate” and donated smaller amounts to Democrats and Republicans in past years, according to Federal Election Commission filings. His politics publicly shifted in May 2022, when he tweeted he would vote Republican because Democrats had “become the party of division & hate, so I can no longer support them.”

Brian Hughes, a spokesman for the Trump campaign, said: “President Trump will be the only voice of what role an individual plays in his presidency.”

…Musk served on White House business advisory groups during Trump’s term as president but resigned from them in 2017 after disagreeing with Trump’s decision to pull the U.S. out of the Paris climate accord.

Trump made billionaire investor Carl Icahn, an old business acquaintance, a special adviser to the president on overhauling federal regulations in 2016. When he was named to the post, Icahn had already been helping Trump vet candidates for top posts at the Securities and Exchange Commission and Environmental Protection Agency.

The position wasn’t an official government job, meaning Icahn didn’t get paid but also didn’t have to give up his business dealings.

Icahn resigned from the post less than a year later after drawing criticism for potential conflicts of interest with his investments. He has kept a distance from Trump and Washington since.

Musk and Peltz have told acquaintances they are working on a data-driven project to ensure votes are fairly counted, echoing Trump’s accusations of widespread fraud in the 2020 election. Trump’s own attorney general, Bill Barr, has rejected those claims about the 2020 election. Trump’s campaign and its allies lost dozens of lawsuits challenging the results. 

…Recent talks between the two men have covered some of Musk’s companies, including the X social-media platform; Tesla, the electric-vehicle maker; and rocket and satellite launcher SpaceX, people familiar with the discussions have said. 

Tesla, the world’s most-valuable automaker and Musk’s only public company, has seen its share price fall and recently recorded its lowest profit in years. Musk and Trump have discussed the electric-vehicle industry and EV tax credits, according to people close to Trump.

Trump has maintained a tough posture against EVs on the campaign trail. He has criticized how the vehicles need recharging for longer trips and has called for tariffs on those made in Mexico, saying it hurts the U.S. auto industry.

Musk has publicly criticized EV subsidies, which Tesla has benefited from, and recently spoke out against tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles and other parts.

Musk has asked Trump to return to posting more actively on X, especially using the “Spaces” live audio feature, people close to Trump said. Trump dominated the platform when it was known as Twitter, boasting more than 88 million followers at one point. 

But Trump, who is eager to protect his Truth Social platform that launched in 2022, has only posted on Twitter once since being reinstated to the platform after Musk bought it. 

… [At one billionaires-only Musk-organized dinner in L.A t]he discussion at times centered on how attendees could give money to Trump outside of public view. In February, Trump’s supporters launched a new super PAC called Right For America to help re-elect the former president. The first major donor to the group was Perlmutter, the former Marvel executive. Sacks is co-hosting a coming fundraiser for Trump in San Francisco.

Musk, Peltz and other Trump backers are planning to continue hosting more salon-style dinners and gatherings across the country targeting wealthy, powerful people in business, a person familiar with the matter said. The idea is more about emphasizing what Musk and Peltz see as Biden’s shortcomings than trumpeting Trump himself, this person said.

Musk's involvement in developing this so-called “data-driven project to prevent voter fraud” echoes Trump’s unfounded claims of widespread election fraud in the 2020 elections, possibly an effort as a way to legitimize and perpetuate voter suppression tactics, which disproportionately affect marginalized communities. This emphasis on voter fraud blames without substantial evidence, plays to Trump’s ego, which can’t accept that he could be a loser, while undermining democratic institutions always detested by the super-rich who hate the concept of one-man-one-vote more than anything else (other than paying their fair share of taxes).

Musk's simpleminded criticism of the “woke mind virus,” a term he uses to deride liberal policies and diversity, equity and inclusion programs, aligns him with conservative agendas that seek to dismantle progressive gains in social justice. This stance is dangerous as it promotes division and undermines efforts to address systemic inequalities. By rallying elite business leaders against these policies, Musk contributes to a backlash against movements striving for racial, gender and economic justice and his strategy of using his influence in elite circles rather than simply funding super PACs represents a shift toward a more insidious form of political power. By leveraging his network to organize anti-Biden campaigns among powerful business leaders, Musk exemplifies how corporate interests can exert undue influence over democratic processes. This exacerbates the problem of money in politics, where policy decisions increasingly reflect the interests of the ultra-wealthy rather than the needs of normal people and society, including of course, the environment— despite Musk’s bullshit identification with green technology through his purchase of Tesla. Let’s never forget that his political alliances and actions contradict progressive environmental and labor values.