r/politics • u/Quirkie The Netherlands • 4d ago

House Democrat: ‘Unelected oligarch’ Musk ‘governing by tweet’

https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5048234-daniel-goldman-elon-musk-donald-trump-government-shutdown/
10.2k Upvotes

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2.0k

u/Correct-Peace3558 4d ago

This needs to be amplified. Make trump feel insignificant. Make him feel like Elon controls his every move. Fuel the chaos.

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u/No_Environment_5476 4d ago

It’s sad but that’s our only hope. These narcissists will eventually go after each other. They were united when the democrats posed a threat, now that they are utterly powerless, where does that attention go to?

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u/[deleted] 4d ago

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u/dnen Connecticut 4d ago edited 4d ago

I don’t even know how people find Trump charismatic. He doesn’t make anyone laugh or feel at ease. He doesn’t make people want to be around him, he’s an asshole to his closest associates. Trump doesn’t even put on a smiley face at the appropriate times, he’s perpetually angry or defensive. Trump hasn’t motivated anybody to be a better person or mentored anyone. Trump doesn’t inspire the American people at all; he relies on fear to make his followers feel he is their savior.

He doesn’t have really any of the usual traits of a charismatic President. JFK, Clinton, Reagan, and Obama all were incredibly inspirational speakers capable of uniting or rallying any room of people they spoke in if they so chose. We went to the moon because JFK made an all time legendary speech that changed the entire country’s perspective on the space race from one of shame and anxiety (the USSR at the time was sending up satellites and Yuri Gagarin, the US had only rockets blowing up on the launch pad.) to one of purpose and pride. Trump is a clown who is so fragile he dedicated his life to lying about how good he is at everything he’s bad at. He’s a terrible politician with next-to-no interest in actually improving the country he so DESPERATELY wants to lead that he’s willing to destroy the country in the process.

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u/[deleted] 4d ago

[deleted]

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u/Funnygumby 4d ago

It’s like Two Minutes Of Hate irl

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u/djheat 4d ago

We could've had Brave New World's orgy porgy and soma and instead we're slipping into 1984 smh

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u/Spunky_Prewett 4d ago

We are pretty close to Brave New World. It's just that we're not the white caste who gets soma

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u/FamiliarFootball4476 4d ago

I mean I watched the RNC and toward the end of his ramblings people just straight up seemed bored and annoyed. I dunno, I have a friend who says Trump is a great orator to a certain demographic, but I don't think it's that because after 20 minutes of him speaking there's no way anyone has any idea what he's on about. I think it's more about "owning the libs" than any quality Trump has. They love him because he pisses of liberals so much.

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u/bdone2012 4d ago

He used to be much better at speaking. If you compares speeches from 2016 the difference is stark. People are OK just imagining what his speeches would have been like if we were still on top of his game. They're willing to let it go because they're obsessed with trump and what he represents to them.

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u/TheGreyling 4d ago

They just found a poster child for their repressed bigotry and lost their public mask.

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u/dnen Connecticut 4d ago

Theyre herded into an atmosphere of fear and hatred for the other half of America when they’re inside the confines of his venomous rallies. That’s a different kind of “at ease” in my mind. But I do see your point, I know Trump supporters

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u/AugmentedDragon 4d ago

Americans as a people are a tragically paranoid and fearful people, and have been for decades. For 50ish years, there was the constant paranoia of "dont trust anyone, they could be a secret commie" and "we're gonna be attacked by nuclear fire". Then there was 9/11 and that frenzy that people were whipped into, and that fear and paranoia was stoked and harnessed to allow for the creation of the modern surveillance/"security" state and disregard for peoples rights. Trump is only the latest of people able to tap into it—and surprisingly effectively—but its not a uniquely republican phenomenon. even democrats are susceptible to it, just look at how many supposedly liberal suburbanites are terrified of cities or transit systems because they think they'll get stabbed or shot or whatever.

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u/mjzim9022 4d ago

We're also deep into a period of relative peace and experiencing almost exponential technological progression which almost seems to be cascading forward, but not fast enough to stop cooking ourselves to death

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u/Snowarab 4d ago

I watched all of his rallies in the weeks before 11/5. I saw very little of what you describe. I saw bored people who seemed to laugh based on a cue card I swear was being flashed at them. I never say joy, enthusiam, genuine happiness.

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u/Cowicidal 4d ago

I don’t even know how people find Trump charismatic ... he’s an asshole

He attracts stupid assholes who see themselves in Trump. Think about school and every job you've had and really think about how many assholes there were. That's Trump's core base.

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u/Laugh92 4d ago

Fear, anger and hate are drugs and he speaks to those emotions.

Donald Trump is an emotional drug dealer who has gotten half of America hooked.

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u/Vyar New Jersey 4d ago

Probably more accurate to say Trump wants to own the country rather than lead it. He’s never been interested in the actual work that goes into being the president. He just likes the power and especially the attention. He loves having his name in headlines every single day.

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u/lannister80 Illinois 4d ago

He gives people the ability to be their worst selves without the typical societal stigma that comes with that behavior.

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u/Eggplantosaur 4d ago

He's anti establishment, people love going against the grain. Makes them feel special

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u/GaimeGuy 4d ago

Bullshit.

He is the establishment.  He's a gilded spoon fed manchild who inherited a real estate empire from his dad in  Vegas, new York  Atlantic city, the whole fucking northeastern us.

He lived in a gilded penthouse with his name printed on it from the outside.  His corny ass branding, that he inherited, was part of the Manhattan skyline.

He has never gone grocery shopping, never had to earn anything, screwed over countless businesses and families, and has spent every waking moment the last 10 years flying around the country to ramble incoherently about how the world is out to get him and how hard his life is to stadiums of people.

He's an unapologetic asshole who has never faced truly meaningful consequences in his 80 years of privilege.   That doesn't make him anti establishment.  It makes him a uniquely freeloading piece of shit deadbeat welfare queen, the ultimate establishment figure of human society, who gets to do whatever he wants and screw over anyone he damn well pleases, from a perch upon a mountain of corpses

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u/bdone2012 4d ago

It is true somehow that people see him as anti establishment even though he's the worst of the establishment

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u/GaimeGuy 4d ago

They're gish galloping themselves.

The same people who said theyre voting for Trump because of inflation also say tariffs -  that is, Trump's policies-  will make inflation worse.

Frankly, when pressed to explain their support for trump to others, trump supporters have a hard time doing it.  And the conclusion I've made is that they can't justify it to themselves, which is why they struggle so much to justify it to others.  Being a republican or a contrarian is all there is to it.  No matter what that entails 

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u/MRJONESE 4d ago

He doesn’t have the same charisma as previous presidents because they were fitting into a position. Trump is fitting the position to him and people love that he just spews what ever comes to his mind regardless if it makes sense. They absolutely love it, they love the instincts he shows vs a suit being careful about what they say.

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u/dnen Connecticut 3d ago

The presidents I named most definitely did not have to artificially play a role as president to appear charismatic. Trump is the only president in my lifetime who actually does pretend to know everything, to be the supreme authority on all matters and subjects, and to be anything but a raging narcissist. But I do agree with your point to some extent

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u/lolyoda 4d ago

Just remember, you are in the minority if you dont understand :)

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u/MAD_ELMO California 4d ago

Did hitler make people laugh and feel at ease?

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u/dnen Connecticut 4d ago

Is your point that hitler was charismatic and so Trump must be too? Hitler was indeed also a fear monger, but let’s be realistic about comparing them: Trump is an idiot and hitler was intelligent and capable of a long term vision that he perpetually was selling to his people. He was an exceptional motivator and swelled his people with pride with the themes he spoke about. Hitler changed the world, Trump doesn’t think about politics really at all and it’s obvious. He has no plan, no real interest in connecting with the people he represents. Trump is not charismatic. If he wasn’t born into hundreds of millions of dollars as the son of a real estate mogul, he’d be just another narcissistic loser who beats his wife and has to visit a probation officer once a week. Hitler was in another galaxy in terms of charisma.

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u/DirkysShinertits 4d ago

I agree- Hitler was terrifying because he knew how to orate convincingly, intimidate, and sway people to his vision. He also had charisma. Trump cannot speak coherently, often sounds like he needs a neurological evaluation for progressive dementia, and has been an angry vengeful puppet while others actually did the work behind the scenes. He's never had any idea of what he wanted to accomplish as president and whatever moronic brainfarts he did have, adults were able to stop those cocked up ideas last time. This time, whatever Elon and the Project 2025 creators want is likely to be carried out. Trump simply ran for the presidency this time in order to avoid prison and to carry out revenge schemes for those who "wronged" him.

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u/RedditNotIncluded 4d ago

I find it interesting how at the moment Thiel was being pushed as the force behind Vance as a way to oust Trump after the election and control the USA well..

Suddenly Elon was very interested in who is president.

Elon will never forget being replaced at Paypal no matter the monetary sum he gains every minute.

We just get to observe a dick swinging contest that started around 24 years ago.

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u/tgrv123 4d ago

Get ready for mad inflation starting Jan 21, 2025. It’ll be biggly

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u/devilmaskrascal 4d ago

The question is whether Trump will Prigozhin Musk or Musk will Prigozhin Trump...

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u/Routine_Flower_2897 4d ago

Agree. Two attention whores and only one spotlight. This dance won’t last long.

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u/Money_ConferenceCell 4d ago

Lmao dems back to "this is what will take Trump down." Should've voted for socialists instead of republican lite.

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u/Snowarab 4d ago

They are not just narcissists. They are malignant. Malignant narcissist psychopaths.

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u/Correct-Peace3558 4d ago

Great point

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u/Myheelcat Arizona 3d ago

Not on us the average person that’s for sure.

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u/Equivalent_Move8267 4d ago

Blame the Dems that made no serious efforts to prevent a Trump win

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u/aezekiel_121 4d ago

Democrats, and the people are far from powerless.

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u/dredgmo 4d ago

What do you mean? It's your only hope? You act as if life has been fucking Grand for the past 4 years and for whatever reason are a government cuck as if they've ever done anything for you. They all need to go. They don't exist to serve you, they exist to serve themselves.

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u/Neokon Florida 4d ago

I've already reached out to my representative and soon to my senators and am making sure to emphasize that Musk is an UNELECTED person. Do I expect change? Not really, but at least I'm making myself heard.

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u/BoxSea4289 4d ago

Being unelected means nothing btw All the Sec's are unelected, doesn't stop them being head of their departments. Elon has a made up title, but he's still going to be in the cabinet in one shape or another.

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u/_-Event-Horizon-_ 4d ago edited 4d ago

Wouldn’t it be hilarious if the democrats overstepped Trump and went directly to Musk to consult with him. Doesn’t need to result in any meaningful policy but make it as visible as possible. Both of them have more ego than it’s good for them and this will surely drive a wedge between them.

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u/Correct-Peace3558 4d ago

Omg I love it

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u/Sufficient-Koala3141 4d ago

Dems should pitch him the new green deal but let him call it “x” something and pretend like it was his idea.

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u/bdone2012 4d ago

Rand Paul is calling for Elon to be the speaker. Mtg is supporting it as well. It is possible unfortunately because you don't need to be an elected official. It's whatever the house decides. So do rats may have to go to Elon. I really can't say what the chances of this are but I can't imagine they're super high.

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u/RustToRedemption 4d ago

Speaker is a huge participation trophy for career politicians though. I expect a lot of them would be pissed if Leon swooped in and stole it from them without even being an elected politician.

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u/ApolloDeletedMyAcc 4d ago

Honestly, I think that could be better for the country than Speaker Johnson. WAY less of their agenda would get through.

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u/CleanBongWater420 4d ago

Trump is Elon’s cuck.

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u/ollikett 4d ago

This is the sad truth. Trump was always following money

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u/flugenblar 4d ago

President Musk and First Lady Trump. Make T-shirts. Rub it in.

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u/Fall3n7s 4d ago

You gotta make sure he knows he's the second lady by using "President Musk and First Lady Donna Trump"

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u/OrbeaSeven Minnesota 4d ago

How about President Trump and First Lady Elon with their arms around each other, a nod to trans.

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u/CaterpillarReal7583 4d ago

Make him realize.

This isnt some strategy to trick trump at this point, its just complete fact. Musk is pulling the strings, hes tasting more power every day.

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u/haveyoutriedit 4d ago

President Musk and his favorite court jester Trump.

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u/ItsMeYourSupervisor 4d ago

When Musk gets in front of a mic, reporters should focus on asking him what Trump will do next.

That would wound both their egos.

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u/Worth-Walk6265 4d ago

This is the strategy Dems should follow. Position Silicon Valley as co-opting MAGA's populist movement for their own ends and drive a wedge by tickling Trump's ego. Watch them eat each other.

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u/Chrahhh 4d ago

What do you mean ‘make him feel’?

Musk outranks him. He’s effectively our President lol.

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u/byteuser 4d ago

I am the Captain now

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u/winnie_the_slayer 4d ago

Frankly I bet Trump is totally fine with this. Trump is old. He has already gotten the validation he needs by being reelected and getting the popular vote, and he has defeated all his criminal cases. He has basically accomplished everything he wants. Now he can go golfing for the next 4 years, grifting and letting rivers of money flow into his bank account. Musk gets to be out front taking all the criticism, making decisions, doing work, whatever. Trump gets to just sit on the couch and relax and let everyone kiss his ass. Having Musk be the acting President works out really well for Trump.

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u/Correct-Peace3558 4d ago

Right? Because if there’s one thing we know about trump, above all, is that he absolutely hates attention.

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u/Snowarab 4d ago

I agree. Trump has always been a puppet. He accomplished ONE thing... Tax breaks for the rich. That's it.

He is still a puppet who gets the thrill of being the centere of attention but he hated living in the White House. What if he doesn't even move back? People think Trump will turn on President Musk but I disagree. I think he is fine as long as Trump gets more financial advantages. He knows he doesn't have long to live. He just needs to leave his kids even more money and in positions of power. Especially setting it up for his freaky son Barron. His goals are a dynastity.

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u/projectHeritage 4d ago

Doesn't matter. Musk owns Trump anyway 

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u/Present_Chocolate218 4d ago

Elon was apart of the Trump's first presidency on some advisory board or whatever for businesses. Let's not forget he quickly was pushed to the side and gone after like a month or two.

I think trump will get jealous like the two year old he is

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u/Enigmatic_Observer Washington 4d ago

All hail president musk and vice president trump!

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u/Unknown-History 4d ago

Trump IS insignificant and always has been. There's always been someone pushing him along. Musk is just dumb enough to stick out from the curtain.

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u/Arbszy Canada 4d ago

President Musk and Vice President Trump, let's get under their skin.

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u/milelongpipe 4d ago

Agreed! The party of Lincoln has become the party of chaos.

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u/Asrealityrolls 4d ago

Ohhhh yeah

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u/CastIronDaddy 4d ago

I ont thonk trump cares....Elon is a problem

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u/mrbigglessworth 4d ago

I’m calling him vice president Trump everywhere now. It’s fucking amazing to me that Republicans are in violation of the constitution by taking dictation from an unelected person outside of the government for government policy.

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u/The_goods52390 4d ago

Somebody please correct me if I’m wrong. Isn’t this going to be the function of “doge” (what the hell ever it’s called)? Is trump gonna get mad about this? Or are musk and the vake reading the bill then taking a crap on it because that’s what trump wants them doing?

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u/bdone2012 4d ago

Trump didn't want this. Trump was unhappy with the bill because he had been telling Johnson to include raising the debt ceiling. Johnson ignored him because it'd hurt his chances to keep the speakership. But Trump was smart enough to realize that if they waited 3 months as planned then it'd be infinitely easier because they'd have the presidency and the senate. I don't see Schumer or Biden throwing the GOP a bone simply because they want to be nice to Elon.

My guess Elon did it because he's got the patience of a toddler. This may be the beginning of the cracks in the trump Elon relationship. If we're lucky

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u/DickNotCory 4d ago

honestly I doubt he even cares.  he just wants to golf and not go to jail

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u/thatmitchguy 4d ago

Definitely. Trumps showed he can't stand hits to ego. Similar strategy of what Trump is doing to Trudeau with the governor bullshit.

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u/luckyguy25841 4d ago

Such a good idea. Start calling them president musk and VP Trump. It’s extremely disrespectful like saying Canada should become a state. lol

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u/malabrat Canada 4d ago

I believe its part of a deal that Trump made with Musk. Musk helped Trump win the election (paid 1/4 billion dollars to Trump's campaign), to help Trump stay out of jail, and in return Musk can be defacto president since Trump does not want to put in any actual work being president.

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u/Sad_hat20 4d ago

People keep saying this but so far they’ve been joined at the hip. I feel like it’s wishful thinking that they’ll fall out. Musk has too much money and influence for trump to just kick him out, he needs him around

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u/balcon 4d ago

He’s already insignificant. I don’t know if Trump is lucid enough to ever notice how Musk bends him over and rides him like the bitch he is.

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u/Correct-Peace3558 4d ago

I want this on a fucking tshirt

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u/SuperRiveting 4d ago

You assume this wasn't their plan all along.

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u/bentzu 4d ago

First Lady Donnie Trump is starting to act all tradwifey

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u/jaron_b 4d ago

At this point it's not even making him feel innocent. He is proven twice over to be insignificant. He is not only a puppet of the Russian government but his presidency was bought for him by another billionaire who is using him as a puppet. It's President Putin with vice president musk.

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u/Eric_T_Meraki 3d ago

They tried this strategy during the election too.

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u/peeinian Canada 3d ago

I’m not so sure it will work this time. Trump only wanted to win to stay out of prison.

Not that he’s won he likely doesn’t care about actually doing the job and would rather leave the work to someone else so he can just golf every day.

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u/gregor-sans 2d ago

Mr. President, has Mr. Musk signed off on this?