Filenews 23 December 2024 - by Nia-Malika Henderson
The U.S. government has just avoided fiscal paralysis, the so-called "shutdown" — and speculation, confusion and concern about tech giant Elon Musk's power in Washington are rife. So much so, that President-elect Donald Trump's new spokeswoman was forced to clarify the following:
"As soon as President Trump released his official position on the proposed bill to extend government funding, Republicans on Capitol Hill reiterated his view," Caroline Levitt explained of the bill, known as the Continuing Resolution (CR). "President Trump is the leader of the Republican Party. Full stop."
However, this explanation was not entirely convincing. Musk, who donated $250 million to Trump's presidential campaign, has emerged as an unexpected, unelected and unaccountable political force. He reversed the bipartisan bill to prevent a shutdown and jeopardized House Speaker Mike Johnson's position by posting to his 200 million followers on the X platform, which he owns.
"This bill should not pass," Musk wrote at 4:15 a.m. Wednesday.
More than 150 posts followed, some of which were blatant lies about the bill. (There was no 40% increase for lawmakers or a $3 billion deal for a football stadium in Washington.) Trump and his almost invisible real coalition partner, J.D. Vance, were installed later — much later.
Twelve hours later, the bill was rejected and Musk celebrated on X that "the voice of the people has triumphed!"
Musk has been dubbed a "first buddy," but he looks more like a co-pilot, enforcement agent and Trump benefactor. And the chaos they have brought to the budget deal is an unfortunate foretaste of the next four years.
For Republicans, that means facing Musk-funded threats if they don't comply. It also means facing a serious threat from the MAGA mob, the same group that stormed the Capitol four years ago calling for the hanging of then-Vice President Mike Pence. Despite this, 38 Republicans ended up defying Trump and Musk by voting against the so-called "skinny CR" (the revised bill). They probably counted on the power of numbers and the fact that 2026 is, in political time, still a long way off.
For Democrats, Musk's ubiquity means they have to deal with an unpredictable force that not only wields influence over Trump but also has a sizeable business portfolio backed by government contracts.
"Currently, the American public has no way of knowing whether the advice he secretly whispers to you is good for the country — or just good for his own gains," Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren wrote in an open letter to Trump earlier this month.
It's worth noting that one of the provisions of the original bill that was removed after Musk's barrage of posts imposed new regulations on technology transactions involving China, where Musk maintains significant business ties. Its deletion was a major victory for the billionaire. The White House, which remained largely silent during the negotiations, referred to this in a statement. Democrats would do well to continue pointing out Musk's confrontational and self-serving role.
Logic says that at some point Trump will get tired of sharing the spotlight with Musk. Democrats have begun referring to Musk as the president-elect and Trump as the vice president-elect, perhaps to create rifts in the couple. Trump has fired people from his inner circle in the past.
But Musk, with his billions and global reach through X, is unlike anyone else in Trump's entourage. Removing ministers and individuals like Steve Bannon was much easier. These people didn't have Musk's reach or celebrity — or his billions. They were sycophants who needed Trump more than he needed them. Instead, Musk lends prestige to Trump by standing by his side. It expands its reach and power. In other words, Musk is making Trump bigger. Some Republicans have nominated Musk for House speaker, but that would be a major step backwards.
Washington's new powerful duo will likely bring even more chaos and corruption once Trump takes office. It will be difficult for Democrats to rein them in, especially if voters, impressed by Musk's wealth and bluster, give him an indulgence and assume that he is merely looking after Americans' interests, instead of protecting his own.
Performance – Editing: Lydia Roumpopoulou
