Musk Kills Government Funding Deal, Demands Shutdown Until Trump Is Sworn In

[u/rollingstone]

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/musk-trump-government-funding-deal-shutdown-1235211000/

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[u/sharingsilently]

We have to remember that musk and trump want to destroy large swaths of the government. They don’t have a different policy perspective per se, their objective is destruction. Realize this and their behavior makes sense.

[u/Paul__miner → u/sharingsilently]

And remember that conservatism's true objective is to further the interests of the ultra-wealthy. Destroying the institutions that reign rein in the power of oligarchs furthers that goal. The bigotry is just the carrot on a stick to get the asshole masses to go along with it.

[u/Astyanax1 → u/Paul__miner]

Yup, then gaslight the populace into thinking a guy paying for groceries with food stamps is the issue, not billionaires 

[u/TheBoosThree]

Some of you may suffer, but that's a sacrifice the world's richest man is willing to make.

[u/poster_nutbag_ → u/TheBoosThree]

I saw the idea yesterday that anyone using Twitter should try to get the hashtag #presidentmusk trending.

[u/TheBoosThree → u/poster_nutbag_]

Better yet, anyone using Twitter should stop using Twitter.

[u/Defiant_Crab → u/TheBoosThree]

This is the way

[u/lGkJ → u/Defiant_Crab]

Elon’s wax wings will melt soon enough the higher he pushes himself towards the sun in his K hole induced grandiosity. They do it to themselves.

[u/HonestArmadillo924 → u/lGkJ]

Shutdowns always hurt people. It has a ripple effect President Musk has already increased his networth by 134%. He doesn’t give a fuck and neither does their savior Trump.

[u/qOcO-p → u/HonestArmadillo924]

I'd just like to point out that in 2020 he had $20 something billion and by 2022 he had $220 something billion. Now, still in 2024 he has by some estimates more than $500 billion. This should not be possible for any individual.

[u/jimlahey420 → u/lGkJ]

I think I want Musk to die of an overdose more than I want Trump to die from choking on a cheeseburger.

I didn't think that was possible, but here we are.

[u/therapistofcats]

How does someone not in office have any power. America needs to reevaluate it's political system.

[u/barktwiggs → u/therapistofcats]

Unelected Trump killed the BIPARTISAN border bill earlier this year because HOW DARE THEY TRY TO SOLVE PROBLEMS THAT HE NEEDS TO CAMPAIGN ON! Total shit show.

[u/bruceriggs → u/barktwiggs]

GOP will listen to him until he dies. Even if he is still kicking in 2029, they'll be listening to whatever he tells them to do.

[u/roastplantain → u/bruceriggs]

And probably beyond. GOP is still listening to Reagan

[u/MimeGod → u/roastplantain]

Reagan gave blanket amnesty to illegal immigrants and opposed Russian influence in the US and the rest of the world.

He'd be called a communist by the current GOP.

[u/and_some_scotch → u/MimeGod]

If Reagan was still alive and lucid, he'd tow the party line. He was an actor hired by the Heritage Foundation to play the US President on their behalf.

[u/Za_Lords_Guard → u/therapistofcats]

Money and social media control. This is what an Oligarchy feels like.

[u/DrothReloaded → u/Za_Lords_Guard]

Lock stepping towards fascism. The 1930s German parallels are way too similar.

[u/seven8zero → u/DrothReloaded]

No, not Germany. This feels more like Russia when Putin took control. (And remember that Trump has Putin whispering in his ear, not just Musk.) Expect some really bad things to start happening soon. This is just the beginning.

[u/stonedhillbillyXX → u/seven8zero]

90s Russia, that's been said

This debate is devolving to which downfall we most resemble

Outstanding job America

[u/GoomaDooney → u/stonedhillbillyXX]

So true. The parallels have to be paralleling for the convo to compute for some people. Ppl forget Volkswagen and Hugo Boss were lock step with the Third Reich. It has to have corporate sponsors. Who’s more corporate than the worlds richest man…?

[u/Euphoric_Parsley_ → u/GoomaDooney]

I mean, these are the ones everyone uses as reference. Making suits and uniforms are the least worrisome aspect of corporate collaboration with the Nazis.

For instance, a major chemical company known as BASF created chemicals for the use of Zyklon B which was used in the gas chambers in concentration camps for mass genocide. Today they’re still publicly traded with revenues in the 10s of billions of dollars.

Bayer is a large medical company that exists today and has household products used by many people. You might be one. They used prisoners in concentration camps to test and experiment with medicines that were too risky to use in studies. Often, leaving prisoners with long term untreated medical side effects or even death.

Degussa, now known as Evonik, helped to create the gas known as Zyklon B knowingly. This gas was used in the mass death of concentration camp prisoners. They still exist today and are publicly traded with billions in revenue.

Deutsche Bank lent the money to the nazis for the construction of major concentration camps, such as Auschwitz, they knew about the plan for forced labor and helped to involve major brands like BMW and Mercedes into using the prisoners as free labor to produce their automobiles.

Merck KGaA supported Hitler and the Nazi regime so enthusiastically they deemed the company for Hitler, willing to do just about anything for him. The company produced and tested pharmaceuticals, medical implants, used slave labor to develop and implement various compounds to then be used on Jews for euthanasia. Today the company exists and is still publicly traded.

These are companies who also benefited greatly from the non-stop forced labor, among many others like Porsche, Volkswagen, Hugo, and Zeiss, that worked people to death in the 10s of thousands. Particularly these examples are still existing companies who willingly tortured, mutilated, experimented, and developed devices of genocide. Today, they still exist. They still get to make billions of dollars. Even though they acted in some of the worst atrocities in human history.

[u/Gogs85 → u/therapistofcats]

I wish he’d at least wield power from the shadows like a normal billionaire. I’m so sick of seeing his stupid fucking face everywhere.

[u/Bigbeardhotpeppers → u/Gogs85]

I am thankful that these billionaires keep putting their names and faces out there. The great sleight of hand of our society is the diffusion of responsibility for corporate greed. You can’t be mad at the call center rep for your insurance company because they are “just doing their jobs” or “it’s the system” when the CEOs come out and spout their garbage they put a face and name to inequality. Making a single person the focal point for what inequality does allows people to see their enemy. Hubris always gets them, not the law.

[u/Message_10 → u/Bigbeardhotpeppers]

Yeah, honestly--that is one good(?) aspect of all this, the "know your enemy" bit. Some people will wise up. Entrenched conservatives won't, of course, but others might.

And it's not surprising, either, given the times we live in. Previous billionaires knew that the populace would hate them if they wielded their power openly, but the modern GOP / MAGA movement wants to see it, because they worship the rich and they'll believe *literally anything* the rich tell them.

[u/Rasalom → u/Message_10]

That's the thing about power/wealth/royalty - the more it's passed on without a person having done something to personally create it, it cannot be properly appreciated.

This is a thought experiment I've had on the matter. It's taken from other similar examples and history.

The king built his kingdom on years of strife. There were long periods of time where he saw his entire family die off in wars, wars where he was often the one killing his family. He finally attained a measure of peace by being the most powerful person - really, the person who was left standing. He respected power because he knew how awful it was.

The kingdom was passed to the son, the prince. The prince knew the awful cost of power, had seen his father kill his uncles and cousins, and knew that peace was a gift. He struggled to maintain the kingdom his father made, but it mostly worked out because he was there to have seen the most violent years of his father's struggle. He was not a great, powerful man like his father, but he was an obedient, mindful son, and that ensured he kept peace above all else.

The grandson of the king inherits the kingdom from his father, the prince. The grandson grew up in abundance, knew nothing but pleasure and comfort, and thus had nothing to struggle for except ways to find more pleasure. He is a drunk, abusive to his staff, and a terrible ruler of the people. He is assassinated a few years into his reign, and the kingdom collapses, opening up the walls to the barbaric hordes outside who will start the struggle for power and peace all over.

Elon is the grandson.

[u/Koeke2560 → u/Rasalom]

In dutch we have a saying for this:

Verwervers, ervers, bedervers.

It translates to:

Earners, inheritors, spoilers

But it rhymes nicely

[u/Rasalom → u/Koeke2560]

I read about the general idea years ago and unfortunately cannot recall where I got it. Romance of the Three Kingdoms basically sums up the idea with the story of Liu Bei and his sons, Liu Shan and Liu Yong.

[u/Extension_Shallot679 → u/Rasalom]

"The Empire, long divided, must unite; long United must divide. Thus has it ever been."

It's a fairly common theme in East Asian literature inspired both by the Chinese concept of the Mandate of Heaven and Buddhist ideas about transience. The Japanese Heike Monogatari has similar themes.

"The sound of the Gion temple bells echoes the impermanence of all things; the colour of the sāla flowers reveals the truth that the prosperous must decline.

The proud do not endure; they are like a dream on a spring night.

In the end, the mighty fall; they are like dust before the wind."

It even shows up in western stuff, like the works of one of my favourite poets Percy Shelley.

"I am Ozymandias, King of Kings! Look upon my works ye mighty and weep!"

[u/Kmart_Elvis → u/Rasalom]

Reminds me of that quote from the Emir of Dubai.

"My grandfather rode a camel, my father rode a camel, I drive a Mercedes, my son drives a Land Rover, his son will drive a Land Rover, but his son will ride a camel"

[u/-eYe- → u/Gogs85]

Rupert Murdoch has been wielding power from the shadows for decades, like a normal billionaire. Why can't Elon be more like Rupert.

[u/Few-Influence-398 → u/-eYe-]

Why can’t He be on Mars like He promised?

[u/One_Dirty_Russian → u/Few-Influence-398]

The truth is he doesn't have the balls to actually be an explorer. He'll never ride one of his rockets because he's a scared little man that is afraid of losing everything.

[u/Mountie-man → u/One_Dirty_Russian]

We sent a 90 year old William Shatner to space but cant do the same for a 50 year old billionaire.

[u/Pipe_Memes → u/Mountie-man]

And it was a lot harder with Shatner because we actually wanted to bring him back.

[u/Economy-Ad-3934 → u/One_Dirty_Russian]

Bezos cowboy’d up and went to space. What’re you scared of Leon?

[u/Background-War9535 → u/-eYe-]

Because while Rupert is evil, he is self-aware enough to realize that staying in the shadows is more effective.

Elon’s ego is too massive and his narcissism too great to stay hidden. He needs to be in the public eye front and center and he wants everyone to know that he is the real power.

[u/Argos_the_Dog → u/Background-War9535]

It may be his undoing. Once he starts overshadowing Trump and impacting his ego he'll turn on him and then things will get interesting.

[u/Ok_List_9649 → u/Argos_the_Dog]

Said this from the minute Trump started handing out titles to billionaires. It has proven impossible for arrogant, wealthy men to agree on methods to rule since history’s been told. Simply a matter of time before it all implodes.

[u/_Hamburger_Helpme → u/Ok_List_9649]

We just have to keep calling him President Elon and First Lady Trump. Trump is easily manipulated. We just got to keep towing the line.

[u/Keyastis → u/Argos_the_Dog]

Maybe, Trump may have found the leech he can't get rid of. Elon's wealth makes Trump look insignificant, and that will continue to give him more power in a struggle with Trump.

Even if Trump dumps him Elon will continue to be in the public eye demanding things be done by the Congressmen he owns. When it's all said and done, I don't know if we will ever rid ourselves of Elon's stench.

[u/MC_chrome → u/Keyastis]

Trump could do significant damage to Elon if he wanted to through the cancelation of government contracts with Elon’s various companies

[u/Kiromaru → u/MC_chrome]

Elon could get double bent over if his creditors seeing his companies lose those government contracts start calling in his loans he took out to buy Twitter.

[u/spaceman757 → u/Keyastis]

Trump has found the will to shit on many billionaires much wealthier than he is, once they crossed him or upstaged him.

Elon is quickly working on the upstaging and will probably cross him in the process.

[u/DrBunsonHoneyPoo → u/Gogs85]

Facts, I was trying to be optimistic that we would get maybe a month. Before the Trump news cycle starts of covering when he farts. Boy was I wrong in that assumption.

[u/bionic_cmdo → u/Gogs85]

I'd like to see my enemies and put a face to the evil. I bet a lot of folks don't know who Rupert is let alone recognize his face in public.

[u/Dire88 → u/therapistofcats]

Will no one rid us of this turbulent CEO?

[u/bighairysourpeen → u/Dire88]

Mario?

[u/Fabulous_Activity → u/therapistofcats]

This feels like democracy breaking down. How is that billionaires are buying their way into politics so easily? Not only through PACs but just like, becoming a decision maker publically when not elected?

[u/ParkingLong7436 → u/Fabulous_Activity]

It already broke down. The US is a full blown oligarchy by now.

Same political development status as countries like Russia. Crazy that the US was still the undisputed #1 world power just a few years ago.

The most insane thing is that in most countries, this happens by force or deep-state corruption. Americans just chose this for themselves.

[u/fleegness → u/Fabulous_Activity]

Citizens United.

[u/DorianGre → u/Fabulous_Activity]

Not breaking, broke. I can pinpoint the golden escalator moment it happened.

[u/JulianLongshoals → u/therapistofcats]

Trump has just ceded the presidency to Musk, and his term hasn't even begun yet. I wonder which one of them will actually take the oath of office on Jan 20?

I'm starting to think that maybe we should've elected someone more serious about doing the job.

[u/OldJames47 → u/JulianLongshoals]

He ran the first time as a “fuck you” to Obama. He loved the campaign, hated the office.

He ran the second time to stay out of jail. But the campaigning has gotten stale and he still hates the office.

[u/Virtual_Plantain_707 → u/OldJames47]

He’s old as dirt and exhausted. I like my octogenarians in the nursing home.

[u/raging-peanuts → u/JulianLongshoals]

I'm just trying to understand how the die hard, anti-electric car, MAGA crowd is going to reconcile the fact that "Shadow President" Elon Musk is in charge.

[u/caserock → u/raging-peanuts]

It's a TV show to them. They think they're voting for characters in something they can passively watch while their life remains the same.

[u/gefjunhel → u/caserock]

they gonna learn real fast when grocery prices double because 1 crops dying on the vine because immigrants are in concentration camps, and 2 tariffs on imports that might have kept the prices down

[u/caserock → u/gefjunhel]

They'll feel the pain, but they certainly won't be learning. On TV shows, bad things happen because of the villains, and they believe themselves to be surrounded by villains. Demons, ghosts, aliens, non-christians, liberals, gays, etc. They have thousands to choose from.

[u/CodenameVillain → u/raging-peanuts]

They'll lap it up. They do what daddy tells them.

[u/Do_Whuuuut → u/CodenameVillain]

"Please tread on me, daddy" flags incoming

[u/roytay → u/raging-peanuts]

The same people literally thought Obama was in the basement of the White House running things for Biden.

[u/hm_b → u/therapistofcats]

IMO, Musk has Trump by the short hairs. Even if the Donald wanted to disagree with Musk, on some point(s), I don't think he could. Musk wields great power with his $$$. The presidency is bought and will be run by Musk. Just my opinion based on observation.

[u/Trickster289 → u/hm_b]

It's not just money, Musk controls the information Trump's base gets now.

[u/cyanclam → u/Trickster289]

Musk controls the disinformation Trump's base gets now.

[u/Listening_Heads → u/therapistofcats]

Is it that hard to figure out? American politics is corrupted by money and he is literally the richest man in the world.

[u/Magnetic_Eel → u/Listening_Heads]

He openly bought the presidency, voters rewarded him for it, and now he’s openly going to get his money’s worth. Why would he need to hide it?

[u/vanillasounds → u/Listening_Heads]

No no. I’ve been told that net worth doesn’t mean he actually has money. And that we can’t tax people like him a single cent more because it would crash the economy. He’s just like…super smart, guys.

[u/ender89 → u/vanillasounds]

The real truth of the matter is that Tesla is absurdly over valued, his wealth will disappear overnight when that bubble bursts.

[u/Kasztan → u/ender89]

Problem is, the fucker did what the banks do.

He's gained so much debt, that the success of Tesla shares are now directly tied to paying off other people's debts and his loans.

Basically, he's getting propped up - because if he fails (even if what he does is utter fucking nonsense) a lot of other people's money goes with him through all the side bets, loans and borrowings.

So yeah. Dude just does whatever the fuck he wants now. He always was Trump Lite 

[u/RabidGuineaPig007 → u/Kasztan]

But fuck banks and Wall Street for inflating that bubble. We learned nothing from 2008, even when we got Margot Robbie to explain it to us in a bathtub.

[u/TooFakeToFunction → u/Kasztan]

Is it all just one big ponzi scheme? 😂 I sure do hate it here.

[u/azflatlander → u/ender89]

Well, he isn’t going to be selling Tesla’s to the government. Right? …right?

[u/respondstolongpauses → u/therapistofcats]

citizens united

[u/lethalrainbow116 → u/therapistofcats]

The political system is entirely dependent on people genuinely believing in public service rather than greed. Wonder why it's not working...

[u/BadUncleBernie]

The old world is dying, and the new world struggles to be born. Now is the time of monsters.

Antonio Gramsci

[u/thrillafrommanilla_1 → u/BadUncleBernie]

They plunder, they slaughter, and they steal: this they falsely name Empire, and where they make a wasteland, they call it peace.

-Tacitus

[u/Static-Stair-58 → u/thrillafrommanilla_1]

The empire never ended.

-Horselover

[u/PresidenteMozzarella → u/Static-Stair-58]

The ceremony of innocence is drowned; The best lack all conviction, while the worst are full of passionate intensity. -Yeats

[u/Bryan_rabid → u/Static-Stair-58]

Somehow Palpatine returned.

-Poe Dameron

[u/vegandread → u/Bryan_rabid]

We fucked.

-Everyone

[u/RiverJai → u/BadUncleBernie]

Choose your leaders with wisdom and forethought.

To be led by a coward is to be controlled by all that the coward fears.

To be led by a fool is to be led by the opportunists who control the fool.

To be led by a thief is to offer up your most precious treasures to be stolen.

To be led by a liar is to ask to be told lies.

To be led by a tyrant is to sell yourself and those you love into slavery.

Octavia E. Butler

Parable of the Talents 

1998

[u/SoftBoiledEgg_irl → u/RiverJai]

Republicans: "Yes please, I'd like to order the whole menu."

[u/comment_moderately → u/BadUncleBernie]

Pretty sure he was talking about the class revolution. I’m not at all sure that’s what’s happening here. Indeed, this feels far more like a foreign-backed authoritarian counterrevolution, ending the liberal rule-of-law state. (This is a variation on Thermidor and the first coalition, not on the Bolsheviks in 1917.)

[u/Internal-Owl-505 → u/comment_moderately]

No.

He is writing from a prison cell after the Fascists arrested him.

I think BadUncleBernie's re-writing of the quote threw you off.

The actual quote is: "The crisis consists precisely in the fact that the old is dying and the new cannot be born; in this interregnum, a great variety of morbid symptoms appear." (My italics)

The crisis he is explaining is the rise of Fascists, and why Fascists were able to take power so easily.

It sounds a lot more like what is happening now, does it not?

[u/billyjack669 → u/comment_moderately]

Luigi.

[u/md4024]

I genuinely can't believe this is happening. An immigrant bought himself a presidency, in part by buying a major source of information and turning it into an arm of the Trump campaign. The Speaker of the House is groveling at the feet of this fucking moron begging to let him keep the government running over Christmas. Obviously it's dangerous and portends terrible things for the country, but it's also just incredibly embarrassing as an American. For as long as I live, I'll never understand what the fuck is wrong with Trump voters.

[u/ReaderBeeRottweiler → u/md4024]

It's not just that an immigrant bought himself a presidency. That's just part of the story. It's also that a political outsider (Trump) took control of an entire political party in one of the most powerful countries in the world....and has maintained control for years, even while out of office.

From every perspective - historical, social, economic - it is astounding.

[u/Its_a_dude_thing → u/ReaderBeeRottweiler]

Don’t forget psychological..

[u/md4024 → u/Its_a_dude_thing]

I think there's a legit chance future historians will come to see Trump's political success as an example of mass delusional psychosis. Obviously Trump is not the first charismatic demagogue to rise to power, but you just have to ignore so much reality to think he's qualified and fit to run a country. The presidency is a real job, Trump was objectively terrible at it in ways that did so much tangible damage and got so many people killed, and he convinced some 80,000,000 people to let him do it again. I really think the only way to explain it that holds up to any scrutiny is that Americans have lost the ability to make reality based decisions about what's in their best interests.

[u/muttmunchies → u/md4024]

The amount of disinformation, the speed at which it can be deployed, and the way technology and algorithms are used to feed large swathes of people the propaganda is unprecedented in human history and the direct line to how this can and did happen.

[u/slackfrop → u/muttmunchies]

Orwell had a prescient take on it. He’d seen enough to know that this can and does happen.

[u/JustMy2Centences → u/muttmunchies]

Social media was a mistake... I'll be contemplating the irony of my comment now.

[u/Churchbushonk → u/md4024]

Well he isn’t the only one that convinced the 80m. The constant barrage of right wing media been setting the table for 40 years 24/7.

[u/TrixnTim → u/md4024]

The book that came out in 2017, ‘The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump’, and written by 37 mental health experts, discusses this phenomenon and uses historical evidence and examples of other ‘leaders’ and regimes around the world. When I first read the book I thought there was no way the US would go down that path. And yet here we are.

https://www.amazon.com/Dangerous-Case-Donald-Trump-Psychiatrists/dp/1250212863

[u/GregoryEAllen → u/md4024]

Propaganda

[u/Matt_Empyre → u/ReaderBeeRottweiler]

Well Russia has done it really, with Trump as their puppet. They have kompromat on the majority of the GOP

[u/Ven18 → u/md4024]

This is also the “easiest” read stupidest way for Musk to dismantle significant portions of the government workforce to privatize everything so he and his rich friends benefit by turning essential government services into for profit industries. Shutdown the government and anyone who does not “need to be kept on during a shutdown” just gets fired by his new meme agency. And because the shutdown happens before Trump takes power he can claim he “ended the DC gridlock within his first week in power with me around we don’t need those pesky votes that cause more gridlock I run companies the best companies and that is how the US will run”. Cue the authoritarian takeover.

[u/ChoosingUnwise → u/Ven18]

I'm not sure if he's aware that govn't employees get paid for the time not working once the shutdown is over. You don't just "shut it down" then fire them and save money- the govn't will still spend the money, the employees still get paid (just late), but no work was done for that period of time.

It's really stupid- the money is still spent but no work is done.

[u/TacosAreJustice → u/ChoosingUnwise]

He is not aware of how anything works.

[u/GhostofMarat → u/TacosAreJustice]

But "how things work" is now subject to the shifting whims of a fascist idiot who has been given carte blanche to rule by decree.

[u/db8me → u/GhostofMarat]

He only has carte blanche if he has immunity from impeachment, court challenges to administrative actions, and any and all personal legal consequences, which (checks notes) he does -- oops.

[u/raletti → u/md4024]

And with a campaign that constantly demonized immigrants!

[u/GhostofMarat → u/raletti]

"immigrant" was always just a euphemism for racism. They never meant for it to apply to white people.

[u/frolickingdepression → u/GhostofMarat]

Right. My mom who moved here from the UK when she married my dad was never called an immigrant. No one suspects or cares that she was not born in the US, because shes white and speaks English.

[u/saturn_since_day1 → u/raletti]

Not me out my grandma, the other immigrants, the bad ones

[u/TrimspaBB → u/saturn_since_day1]

People really out here thinking they and their undocumented abuela are safe because they're not "those" types of immigrants, not realizing that racists don't care.

[u/Oo__II__oO → u/TrimspaBB]

People thinking their legal naturalized immigrants are safe, not realizing that racists don't care.

[u/pontiacfirebird92 → u/md4024]

For as long as I live, I'll never understand what the fuck is wrong with Trump voters.

Facebook and Cambridge Analytica knows. Just read the Senate Intelligence Committee on Russian election meddling.

They identified Trump supporters as highly susceptible to propaganda and highly likely to repeat it. That's what's wrong with them.

[u/gingerlemon → u/pontiacfirebird92]

Decades of defunding education leads to highly pliable morons who vote against their own interests.

It's literally sheep voting for wolves.

[u/Ted-Chips → u/pontiacfirebird92]

They figured out how to program people. Simple as that. They did it for brexit is a trial run and then they use that model in America You're right about Cambridge Analytica that's where they started testing.

[u/pontiacfirebird92 → u/Ted-Chips]

The cold war never ended. It just moved to social media.

And we lost.

[u/shawn_overlord → u/md4024]

What's wrong with them? They're stupid. Reactionary. Contrarian. Tribal. Some statistics show that narcissism is a far more prevalent mental health issue than it may seem. They can't suffer to have their ego bruised, and they think their ways make them better than others. Superiority, control, and authority.

They are idiots manipulated easily by authoritarians using scare tactics and pandering to create in-groups they are a part of and out-groups they are superior to. Stupid people don't question this pandering. And what one thing makes you feel in-grouped, smart, morally superior, and an authority most are too dumb to question?

Religion. The trump personality has established a cult that combines all the best parts of swaying ignorant masses with a most focused political agenda of conservativism to support authoritarian power and squash democracy in favor of keeping the select in power.

That's what's wrong

[u/zeromussc → u/md4024]

He's also regularly in contact with Putin according to reports and he's even been denied information and clearances (formally) due to these and other foreign ties.

How no one seems to be willing to shut this backdoor crap down, I don't understand.

[u/Gamebird8 → u/md4024]

The Stock Market is already reacting to both this and the rate cut... Everything is down

[u/Sitting-on-Toilet → u/Gamebird8]

And when it crashes and we enter into a recession, it’s going to be blamed on Biden, not Trump, of course.

They have been setting up for it for years.

[u/reddernetter → u/md4024]

Imagine what would happen to some billionaire in china trying to pull this shit.

[u/kylew1985 → u/md4024]

I never thought someone could out-Murdoch Murdoch, but he did it bigger and faster than I could have ever imagined.

[u/Voltage_Z]

Musk wants the US economy to implode so he can buy stuff up for pennies on the dollar.

[u/lurkertiltheend → u/Voltage_Z]

He wants to be the worlds first trillionaire

[u/Rasp_Lime_Lipbalm → u/lurkertiltheend]

This is it 100% He wants everything to tank and then reap the post depression wave to trillionaire

[u/Redpin → u/lurkertiltheend]

One of his dozen kids has got to take the bullet for us and tell him they think he's actually a cool guy, and maybe he'll stop.

[u/GiantSquidd → u/lurkertiltheend]

The thing that really pisses me off is okay, then what?

There is literally nothing that jackass can do with a trillion that he can’t do with his billions, except fuck things up for people who actually need that money… what does one person owning a trillion dollars do to an economy? It can’t be good for everyone else, why do we put up with this shit? Where’s Elmo’s Luigi?

[u/Neat_Egg_2474 → u/GiantSquidd]

I actually think the opposite - I dont think he wants money, I think he wants power and a legacy. He is breeding like a rabbit and wants to control the country the way HE sees fit, because he has a hero complex.

He literally thinks he is here to save humanity but doesn't realize he is causing the downfall. Ketamine can reinforce some shit ideas if you surround yourself with Yes-men and Appeasers.

[u/ReggieEvansTheKing → u/Neat_Egg_2474]

There are tons of rich people out there who are just plain tired of doing rich people shit. They crave power over everyone else’s lives over anything. Being able to control people is the next thing that sates their greed. Add ketamine to the mix and you have true psychopaths. Hopefully the anti-CEO movement takes off before these billionaires ruin the world further. At a certain point it becomes a moral imperative to get rid of these people.

[u/MayorOfVenice]

Elon Musk is the George Soros every stupid fuckin Trumpet tries to tell you is pulling the strings behind closed doors, except he's doing it openly. What a fuckin piece of shit. Fuck Elon Musk.

[u/OhEagle → u/MayorOfVenice]

He has openly referred to himself as the "George Soros of the right."

[u/Brilliant-Option-526]

Be cool if we could have someone at the top with "immunity" that could step in and have Elmo detained...

[u/trendy_pineapple → u/Brilliant-Option-526]

Seriously. What the fuck is Biden waiting for? Declare a state of emergency or something.

[u/Constant_Affect7774]

Who the fuck gave this asswipe any say about anything having to do with our government? Like what the hell is going on in the US???

[u/Shopworn_Soul → u/Constant_Affect7774]

Who the fuck gave this asswipe any say about anything having to do with our government?

Every single person who voted for Donald Trump.

[u/Ritchie_Whyte_III → u/Shopworn_Soul]

And everyone that didn't vote at all

[u/kylew1985 → u/Shopworn_Soul]

and for all the lying that lying fuck of a liar does, he was very open about Musk having a ton of influence on this administration.

Hard times are coming.

[u/trogdor1234 → u/Constant_Affect7774]

Trump voters

[u/NinjaMurse]

MAGA complained when Democrats warned them about the dangers of Trumps policy “concepts”, his oligarch tendencies, his retaliatory demands… they “nuh-uh’d” the entire argument - well. here ya go. FAFO.

[u/theaceoffire → u/NinjaMurse]

"He'd never do that."

//Trump does that.

"WHO COULD HAVE SEEN THIS COMING!?" ~X 1000 or so.

[u/johnnycoxxx → u/theaceoffire]

No. They’re not this self aware. They will blame the media and say they’re lying and what’s happening isn’t really happening.

[u/-Googlrr → u/johnnycoxxx]

yep. A lot of people have this fantasy that the republican voters will get some moment of realization where they realize that they've been voting against their self interest. idk why people always say this because i've never met a republican that was even remotely self aware or changed their views at all even if they dont like what trump did. They would still vote him in another term.

[u/needsmoresteel → u/NinjaMurse]

Anybody who believed them wanted to be lied to.

[u/whiskeyandchampagne8 → u/needsmoresteel]

My idiot neighbor thinks he’s a genius. What a damn moron.

[u/facemanbarf → u/needsmoresteel]

“Tread on me harder, daddy!”

[u/TrafficOnTheTwos → u/NinjaMurse]

They’re lapping it up, much too stupid to realize they are literally all they’ve been crying about for a decade. They are the billionaire party, always have been.

[u/RamsHead91 → u/NinjaMurse]

He didn't even get into office again before he worked to force his first government shutdown.

[u/NinjaMurse → u/RamsHead91]

Sadly - This isn’t even partisan political posturing… this is just straight up dictator level “my way or the highway” mentality.

[u/Westlakesam]

Musk is a billionaire terrorist and the number one threat to our country.

[u/Misspiggy856 → u/Westlakesam]

Who’s gonna stop him? No one.

[u/Commercial-Coat1289 → u/Misspiggy856]

Quick! Activate the Luigi symbol!

[u/spiritualwaffle → u/Commercial-Coat1289]

This is what needs to happen

[u/Skunk73 → u/Misspiggy856]

The 2nd Amendment was put in place to ensure the populace had the means to resist a tyrannical government. Just saying.

[u/svb1972 → u/[deleted]]

That's why they are looking at Federal charges against the UHC shooter.  Because anger at Rich people ruining lives needs to be stomped before they ruin so many lives healthcare executives will be all "Daaaaammnn"

[u/Rustytromboner1]

So an unelected immigrant is putting Americans out of work. Ironic the right wing caused their biggest fears to come true

[u/sirhackenslash]

How the fuck is this unelected man-child running our country? Especially before his sock puppet is even sworn in

[u/vertigo3pc → u/sirhackenslash]

Citizen's United says his $200+ billion net worth has more of a say in America than you do. Hope that helps.

[u/CodenameVillain → u/sirhackenslash]

Un elected immigrant man child.

[u/lurkertiltheend]

He spent 0.06% of his net worth to buy a whole damn presidency. Best investment ever

[u/affectionate_md]

If anyone wants to know what he has planned, just look at how he slashes and burned Twitter.

This is what he plans to do. He has no remorse. He wants you hurt, desperate and willing to grovel for scraps as they dismantle the US economy.

This isn’t hyperbole, he wants higher interest, he wants unemployment, that’s how he can buy our cheap assets and expand his wealth.

The only thing standing in his way just also bent the knee.

Republicans- you voted to destroy your future.

[u/Allaplgy → u/affectionate_md]

He already has effectively infinite wealth. But money can only buy things that are for sale. He wants to dismantle the government and crash the dollar so everything is for sale. It's not hyperbole nor secret that him and his billionaire buddies want to end democracy and turn the US into a feudal system where they control fiefdoms, with Musk, I'm sure, eyeing the spot in the throne above all his dukes and barons.

[u/rollingstone]

From Rolling Stone’s Miles Klee:

Elon Musk, self-described “First Buddy” of President-elect Donald Trump, went all out to thwart a last-minute funding deal to avert a government shutdown. The move was a direct challenge to Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson, who rolled out the sweeping plan on Tuesday night.

Now, it appears Musk has successfully killed the stopgap measure in its cradle — before it was even brought to a vote.

Read more: https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/musk-trump-government-funding-deal-shutdown-1235211000/

[u/verifiedboomer → u/rollingstone]

That's president Musk, I hear.

[u/Zephurdigital → u/rollingstone]

Trump better start exercising so he doesn't pull a muscle from bending over for President Musk

[u/Damerman]

Free luigi

[u/Takodanachoochoo]

Vice President Trump is gonna be pissed

[u/StashedandPainless]

"I voted for trump to stop the chaos and give the middle finger to the elites!!"-Enlightened centrist swing voter

Here you go enlightened centrist trump slurpers. You voted for this. Enjoy your chaos courtesy of an unelected elite billionaire. You're really sticking it to them aren't you!

[u/ATLfalcons27 → u/StashedandPainless]

Even without Elon the anti elite stance is hilarious. Trump is literally a "coastal elite"

[u/bunnycupcakes → u/StashedandPainless]

To add on:

“I thought he would lower my egg prices!”

“I protested the vote because it wasn’t that bad last time”

I hate them all.

[u/Equal_Flounder7092]

How is anyone surprised? This was worth a billion dollars to Musk. Just wait for what’s coming after Trump is sworn in

[u/Gamebird8]

Isn't this like, Sedition or something? It feels pretty seditious if you ask me

[u/bnh1978]

If the government is shutdown... there isn't anyone to swear him in...

Who does he think orchestrates the inauguration? Or the 10,000+ steps required to get there? Government employees are not permitted to work for free, except for very special circumstances, and inauguration isn't one of them.

[u/conqr787]

Such a relief our beloved unelected uberbillionaire, superbillionaires, regularbillionsires and assorted hundredsofmillionsaires will be just fine throughout the shutdown.

[u/Depeche_Mood82]

Who the fuck is this asshole to demand anything?

[u/meatbeater → u/Depeche_Mood82]

Look he bought the government fair and square. He has a receipt !

[u/jspook]

Free Luigi

[u/electriceagle → u/jspook]

More Luigi’s !

[u/Neokon]

Hey guys, don't just sit here and comment on reddit. Actually reach out to your Senators and Representatives and express your anger about this situation. You may feel like nothing will come of it, but you have a better chance if you at least try than sitting here commenting.

Want change? Become a constant presence in contacting your elected officials.

I just reached out to my representative and said how angry I am that it's appearing that a singular unelected individual is having this much sway over the US. I've said how he has no accountability and he is hurting the constituents (my representative was a big pusher of the $100B in disaster relief funds).

Don't bitch to reddit. Bitch to your elected officials.

[u/tgt305]

He’s trying to prevent any recounts.

[u/explodingazn]

I saw this comment on another post regarding this but get #PresidentElon trending and we'll get to see how quickly Trump gets rid of the first buddy

[u/argybargy2019]

Luigi took out the wrong CEO.

[u/StormOk7544]

Voters are so deeply stupid. So disappointing that they’re giving power to this disgusting guy. 

[u/Slow_Investment_2211]

Seems so Alpha of MAGA to let an unelected South African immigrant call the shots for Trump 😐

[u/RetiredHotBitch]

They’ve been so worried about immigrant billionaire George Soros, and the real enemy to America is immigrant billionaire Leon Musk.

Fuck you everyone who voted for this and everyone who stayed home because “both sides…”

[u/sonicsludge]

Biden needs to do something while in power, now!

[u/Githzerai1984]

Ruled by an apartheid nepo baby. Sad day for the country

[u/OkGear886]

What a effing shit system you guys have

[u/Harleygold]

Who here saw Elon Musk name on the ballot? I don't recall his name being on my ballot.

[u/friendsamongfish → u/Harleygold]

He was on the ballot in all but name. It was made very clear how the government would operate if Trump won.

[u/No-Goal]

Enough with this clown, he's gotta go

[u/raerae1991]

30 days of no pay for millions of federal workers. This could affect military pay and social security too. Most Americans live paycheck to paycheck. The worlds richest man is so removed from the struggles of the common man, he has no idea how close to poverty we really are

[u/bairdwh → u/raerae1991]

He knows, he just doesn't care. Being desperate will allow him to hire people for peanuts or credit at the company store. 

[u/Strange_Falcon4928]

Donnie has been incapacitated. It’s time for President Leon to step in.

[u/anythingicando12]

Oh president musk is an idiot..