In other words, who is more powerful, the MAGA-ites or the tech bros?
The MAGA people hate the libs. But this battle has nothing to do with the libs. So do they defend the Donald or go with Elon? You don't have to dig too deep to discover that the Big Beautiful Bill will disproportionately benefit the wealthy and increase the deficit and...most people are against those, they're easy concepts to understand, so they side with Elon here.
I heard an interesting analysis on some news station over the weekend. It posited that the Republicans in Congress are not as stupid as we think, rather they're AFRAID! Just like the average American, their number one priority is keeping their job, and if they speak up against Trump they'll risk being excoriated by the man and lose his endorsement and maybe even be primaried. But if there's a leader with no skin in the traditional game...
Musk thought he was winning by being a part of the government. Turns out he had much more power OUTSIDE of D.C. The man is so damn rich that he believes he can defeat the government at every turn. And until DOGE he was doing a good job of it. Forget just blatantly ignoring the long arm of the law, rule against him and he'll move corporate headquarters to Texas, Delaware be damned.
Trump ignoring the courts and the administrative state? Musk has been doing this for years, it's just that most people weren't paying attention. If it doesn't affect you personally, most people in America just don't care. But taxes and benefits? Those they understand.
Now for all the people who haven't gotten rid of their Teslas...
They want to believe in them. They believed in them so much that they bought them to begin with. Can they pivot back to Muskville?
For all of today's cancel culture, America loves a comeback story. Many would forgive Musk if he woke up and admitted his mistakes, which he seems to be doing here.
And if Trump thought he made news...
Musk OWNS the news!
First and foremost because news now lives on social media as opposed to mainstream media, nevertheless traditional media loves covering the Musk story. It's an American story. Immigrant comes to this country and not only makes bank, but revolutionizes multiple industries along the way.
Furthermore, unlike Zuckerberg, never mind Cook, Nadella and Pichai, Musk is not media-controlled to the max. He says what he wants when he wants. Just like Trump. But try finding someone who thinks Trump is smarter than Musk. A lot of Trump's supporters just like his positions, they overlook his lies and lack of intelligence. The entire economic world has railed against the tariffs, saying they make no sense, but Trump soldiers on, flip-flopping along the way.
Now Tesla sales have declined worldwide. But not only is Musk's fortune tied to the company, the entire world has pivoted to electric cars. Trump wants to bring us back, Musk wants to bring us forward, into the future.
So...
Musk is providing cover for Republican congresspeople to go against Trump, and Mike Johnson is way out of his league here.
Meanwhile, even more than McDonald's, the general public is LOVIN' IT!
This is better than the Kendrick Lamar/Drake rap battle, this is real life, with real consequences. And Musk isn't going to back down. Because he's not a politician and if he were able to consider all factors and then make a decision he wouldn't have impulsively purchased Twitter to begin with!
Musk is a hothead, a live wire. And not traditionally a flip-flopper. I don't want to lionize the man, but up until he got deeply involved in politics he was considered to be the new Steve Jobs. And Jobs was hated and exiled into the wilderness before he returned to Apple a changed man and triumphed. Jobs learned how to get along. Has Musk learned lessons from his personal disaster of the last few months?
Musk thought he knew everything because he was rich. And he's not the only one. But unlike most wealthy people he continues to go all-in, he'll risk everything for his vision. And people cotton to someone like that, they believe in someone like that, BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT THEY'D LIKE TO DO!
People want heroes. And Trump never really fit that description. Musk? For a while there he was #1. Can he recapture the magic?
One thing is for sure, he feels burned by Trump and the system. He doesn't even smile when he blows back. He nearly sneers. He feels like he was taken.
So...
This is not an endorsement of Musk, but an analysis. Who is more powerful, the President or Elon Musk? Who has more sway over the public? Who controls hearts and minds? Who do people want to believe in?
Never mind Musk being 53 and Trump turning 79 in a matter of days. Musk is digitally native, Trump hasn't even conquered the English language, never mind tech. Trump is all about smoke and mirrors, with Musk what you see is what you get, and in a world where all warts are revealed, Musk is the modern one.
And Musk doesn't need a plane from Qatar. He's so damn rich he doesn't need more money. Meanwhile, he keeps making money for others. Those who invested in X didn't get their lunch eaten, they got paid back in spades when X was merged with xAI.
We've been waiting for a reckoning. A moment of truth. Someone to stand up to the insanity. We can all see it, but the Democrats say they're powerless and anybody with a buck is afraid to put it at risk. Law firms and media have fallen in line, and the chilling effect is monstrous.
But you can't keep Elon Musk in line.
Just like you couldn't keep John Lennon in line.
Yes, Elon Musk is more akin to a legendary rock star than anybody in the Spotify Top 50, because he did the one thing that they won't, HE SPOKE TRUTH TO POWER!
Musk didn't put his finger to the wind, didn't commission a poll, didn't get so hung up in the potential negatives that he refused to act. No, he moves fast and breaks things, in the classic tech style.
I thought Trump would be defeated by an Arab Spring moment. Someone sans portfolio screwed by his policies who just can't take it anymore. I didn't foresee a billionaire barking back.
But that's just what Musk has done.
And so far Trump and his cronies don't know how to handle it, they're not even sure what they're up against. They keep accommodating Musk, hoping he'll issue a mea culpa and rejoin the fold. Instead, Elon has doubled-down, he keeps publicly criticizing Trump policy.
And what is Trump going to do? Musk is bigger than he is. Everything comes down to money, and Musk has more, MUCH more.
And that money can sway elections. Not for unelectable candidates, but when the battle is close.
This is just the beginning. The Big Beautiful Bill won't pass intact, no way, it would be career suicide for those in Congress. They know it's flawed, yet they've been afraid to go against Trump, but Musk is now giving them cover to defect.
This is just the beginning.
Watch this space.
--
Visit the archive: lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
Listen to the podcast:
-iHeart: ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
-Apple: apple.co/2ndmpvp
--
www.twitter.com/lefsetz
--
If you would like to subscribe to the LefsetzLetter,
www.lefsetz.com/lists/?p=subscribe&id=1
If you do not want to receive any more LefsetzLetters, Unsubscribe
To change your email address this link
No comments:
Post a Comment