It was another grift. Elon got his legal and regulatory obstacles removed, added a few more billion a month in contracts and left the country to rot on the vine. Everything Doge touched is now suspect as hell. I even felt like they were giving the Russians a look around.
In effect, we just watched the richest man in the world trash the lives and actually kill 100s of thousands of the poorest people in the world for personal gain. Murica!
Let's face it, that's what Musk was doing from the beginning. He made a $277 million dollar investment in Trump and got billions in return.... Con Artist.
My guess is that the real bonus for MAGA is that they are going to get full control of the databases that have everything about all of us.
#GMSTRONG
“Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts.” Daniel Patrick Moynahan
"Alternative facts hurt us all. Think before you blindly believe." Damanshot
And DOGE didn't find the waste and fraud they claimed would fix it. 4 months ago they were going to find 2 trillion. Two months ago they were going to find 1 trillion. In the end they found 150 billion and much of that hasn't been confirmed. And none of that was found to be fraud and most of it wasn't found to be waste. It did however manage to cut some funding to the people who needed it most and funds to help protect consumers.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
Elon Musk versus MAGA: Republicans have reached a tipping point
I had the weird experience last evening of watching the new film "Mountainhead," written and directed by Jesse Armstrong, the creator of the iconic HBO series "Succession," while simultaneously doom-scrolling social media. The premise of the movie is that the four horsemen of the apocalypse, in the guise of four tech billionaires, gather at a $50 million mountain castle to play poker while the world literally burns due to the richest one's release of a new AI program that allows undetectable deepfakes and disinformation. (It's not hard to figure out who his character is based on.)
As I was watching and scrolling, like the card-carrying internet addict I am, imagine how startling it was to come across this headline from Time: "Google’s new AI tool generates convincing deepfakes of riots, conflict, and election fraud—sparking fears about AI’s role in misinformation"
Life imitating art in the creepiest way possible. Just as creepy was the movie's dialogue that sounded almost verbatim like the kind of techno-utopian, puerile sci-fi, billionaire geek speak we hear from the world's richest man, who recently told Fox News that he plans to go to Mars (and die there), because, “Eventually, all life on Earth will be destroyed by the sun. The sun is gradually expanding, and so we do at some point need to be a multiplanet civilization because Earth will be incinerated.”
I think we have more immediate planetary survival issues than the sun exploding, but he's the big billionaire genius, so what do I know? Having just read the latest in-depth interview with Silicon Valley guru Curtis Yarvin in the New Yorker, I felt a little bit off balance watching this "Mountainhead" broligarch fan-fic satire because it's obviously not a total fantasy. Such people exist in real life, and they are exerting a lot of influence on our society and politics.
They're not, however, omnipotent. And to the extent they are visionaries, it is probably more limited in scope than we might think.
Musk's SpaceX is going into space, and that's notable (despite his recent failures), but let's be clear, his accomplishment is doing it as a private company. It's all been done before by the U.S. government. He didn't invent electric cars, he just created one that has bells and whistles people like. (His Cybertruck, designed wholly by him to his own tastes, is a dud.) His Neuralink company is creating implantable brain–computer interfaces, but it isn't the only one. (His long-term plan is to bring about "transhumanism," which was inspired by a series of sci-fi novels.) Musk's Boring Company, created to build tunnels to relieve traffic in urban areas, has accomplished almost nothing. His satellite company, Starlink, has been very successful, although lately they've been falling out of the sky. And then there's the social media site X, formerly known as Twitter, which Musk bought and turned into a free-for-all, which clearly influenced the creation of the Musk character and his dystopian website in "Mountainhead."
Musk is a very successful entrepreneur, obviously. His fortune alone attests to that. And some of his companies are truly visionary, even if he isn't the only one to have had that particular vision. However, what we've seen recently with his foray into government is a good example of the Dunning-Kruger effect: a cognitive bias in which people with limited competence in a particular domain overestimate their general abilities.
It's tempting to think that the truly perfect example is Donald Trump, but it doesn't quite fit. Trump's only talent lies in one domain — self-promotion. That leads him to lie about his talents in other areas. I don't think he actually cares if he has any competence in them because he is content with simply saying it and convincing others that it's true. Musk actually believes that he is a genius who can do anything. But as we've seen with his experience in government and politics, he is not.
He used to be a pretty standard-issue liberal from Silicon Valley. But Musk began to drift right as he became more and more red-pilled on Twitter, where he quickly went down the rabbit hole of conspiracy theories like "The Great Replacement." It's clear that he hasn't read much about history, philosophy or politics and developed his political worldview in an online intellectual silo, like so many other people who are temperamentally drawn to the right. He bought the platform so he could remake it in his image, thinking that would automatically make it even more successful. That was not to be. It's still functional and has many users, but it's no longer what it was.
Musk enjoyed holding court on his website, and it stands to reason that all the adulation he got there and elsewhere (as anyone with his kind of money always gets) gave rise to the belief that he's a genius at everything he touches. So he got involved in politics and we've all watched him go from eccentric curiosity to big-time donor to campaigner and then government reformer. I think we can safely say that he was unsuccessful at all but the donor part and even that eventually led to diminishing returns.
Trump gave Musk some questionable credit ("he knows those vote-counting computers") for his win in Pennsylvania, where Musk parked himself in the last month and gave away $1 million checks to voters. He came to believe he'd invented a strategy that could guarantee a win for any Republican he chose to back and a lot of people in politics agreed with him. But when he tried to replicate it in the recent Wisconsin Supreme Court race, Musk spent over $100 million and put himself out on the campaign trail, only to suffer a humiliating defeat. It turns out that he doesn't know as much about political campaigning as he thought he did. And money can't buy you love.
And then there was DOGE, the department he talked Trump into letting him have to slash at least $1 trillion, which he promised to do without even breaking a sweat. After all, when he buys a company, he immediately sets out to save money by firing massive numbers of people and dismantling entire departments and only replaces them if he later finds out it's necessary. Naturally, he believed a genius strategy like that could easily be done in the federal government. He ended up accomplishing very little except causing chaos, creating pain and, in the case of putting USAID "into the wood-chipper," ending the lives of potentially hundreds of thousands of people around the world.
In the process, he destroyed his reputation and that of his companies, losing a lot of money and prestige. Now that he's backed off, the White House is back-stabbing him ruthlessly, passing on gossip about his drug use and personal life, necessitating that he go on a sad-sack media tour to restore his image, which isn't working. And now he seems to be going to war with the White House over the GOP budget bill, which he calls "abominable," telling anyone who voted for it they should be ashamed. That means he's referring to all but two Republican House members.
He's fallen a long way from the pedestal he was on as the ungodly wealthy, visionary genius who was going to save mankind with his prescient techno-utopian imagination. Now he just seems like another Republican whiner lamenting that nobody understands him anymore.
All the broligarchs like Musk think AI is going to make the world over in their image. It is to be fervently hoped that what they are creating is better than they are, because they really aren't very good at anything but technology. And technology isn't everything.
Blue ostriches on crack float on milkshakes between the sidewalk titans of gurglefitz. --YTown
I'm surprised he's that emphatically against it. Memphis mentioned that the budget issues and whatnot are more the fault of Congress, but we know who designed and pushed the BBB. I guess we'll see if there's a response...
Blue ostriches on crack float on milkshakes between the sidewalk titans of gurglefitz. --YTown
Elon Musk rages 'Trump would have lost election' as rift between pair explodes
Elon Musk slammed Donald Trump's "ingratitude" on X on Thursday, claiming that Trump "would have lost the election" had it not been for Musk's help.
The comment came after Trump slammed his former adviser during a White House meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz over his comments about Trump's "big, beautiful bill" — which Musk staunchly opposes due to the scrapping of a $7,500 electric vehicle tax credit.
"Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate," Musk wrote in a now-deleted tweet. "Such ingratitude," he replied under it.
During his meeting with Merz on Thursday, Trump appeared to suggest that Elon Musk has "Trump derangement syndrome" as he said his former adviser was "disturbed" by the slashing of the electric vehicle tax mandate in his "big, beautiful bill."
"Elon’s upset because we took the EV mandate — which was a lot of money for electric vehicles — and they’re having a hard time with electric vehicles, and they want us to pay billions of dollars in subsidy. Elon knew this from the beginning. He knew it from a long time ago," Trump said. "I know that disturbed him."
The president surprised press in attendance and viewers at home as he spoke for nearly 10 minutes about his former adviser while sitting beside German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the Oval Office. He said he was "disappointed" in Musk, especially since Musk "knew the inner workings of the bill." When he left, Musk may have developed "Trump derangement syndrome," the president appeared to tell reporters in the White House.
"I'm very disappointed because Elon knew the inner workings of this bill better than almost anybody sitting here — better than you people. He knew everything about it. He had no problem with it. All of a sudden, he had a problem, and he only developed a problem when he found out we're going to have to cut the EV mandate because that's billions and billions of dollars," Trump said.
"It really is unfair," he continued. "We want to have cars of all types — electric. We want to have electric, but we want to have a gasoline combustion. We want to have different. We want to have hybrids. We want to have all. We want to be able to sell everything."
Trump said Musk "never had a problem until right after he left." He added that he's disappointed in Musk also because he said he's "helped him out a lot." He may have been referencing how he publicly promoted Teslas at the White House in March.
Violent protests and vandalism has plagued Tesla in the U.S. and abroad, spurred on by Musk's involvement with the White House. As the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Musk advocated for and caused massive cuts to several federal agencies and effectively gutted the federal workforce. Americans are mad.
Tesla sales were down by 71% in the first quarter this year, it was reported, and the board of the company implored Musk to return full-time to heading the company and leave his work with the Trump administration behind.
"I'll tell you — he's not the first. People leave my administration and they love us. And then, at some point, they miss it so badly. And some of them embrace it, and some of them actually become hostile," Trump said. "I don't know what it is. It's like Trump derangement syndrome, I guess they call it."
"They leave, they wake up in the morning, and the glamor is gone," he continued. "The whole world is different, and they become hostile. I don't know what it is. Somebody'll write a book about us and let us know."
Trump also said he believes Musk is upset with him because he didn't accept the tech mogul's recommendation for who to head NASA.
"He wanted, and rightfully, he recommended somebody that he, I guess, knew very well — I’m sure he respected him — to run NASA, and I didn’t think it was appropriate. He happened to be a Democrat — like totally Democrat. And I said, ‘You know, look. We won. We get certain privileges. And one of the privileges is we don’t have to appoint a Democrat,'" Trump said.
"He wanted a certain person, and we said no. I can understand why he’s upset," the president added.
Musk responded to Trump in real time on X. "Whatever. Keep the EV/solar incentive cuts in the bill, even though no oil & gas subsidies are touched (very unfair!!), but ditch the MOUNTAIN of DISGUSTING PORK in the bill," Musk wrote in one. "In the entire history of civilization, there has never been legislation that both big and beautiful. Everyone knows this! Either you get a big and ugly bill or a slim and beautiful bill. Slim and beautiful is the way."
He later wrote that Trump had never shown him the bill as the president claimed, writing, "False, this bill was never shown to me even once and was passed in the dead of night so fast that almost no one in Congress could even read it!"
It came as Trump met with Merz in the White House on Thursday for their first in-person bilateral meeting since Merz took office on May 6 after being elected chancellor back in February.
The meeting was seen by experts as a platform for Merz to keep Trump on board with Western support for Ukraine, defuse trade tensions that pose a risk to Europe's largest economy and further bolster Germany's long-criticized military spending.
Blue ostriches on crack float on milkshakes between the sidewalk titans of gurglefitz. --YTown
I expect another episode of "As Ego's Collide" to come out shortly.
I think many people understood from the beginning that these two, who appear to be brothers from another mother, had severe time restrictions on their mutually beneficial partnership. When ego's like these get together it won't be long before the fireworks begin.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
I expect another episode of "As Ego's Collide" to come out shortly.
Trump threatens to cut ‘crazy’ Musk’s government contracts
President Trump on Thursday floated canceling government contracts with Elon Musk’s companies amid a feud that has exploded into full public view.
Trump, in a Truth Social post, said the tech billionaire had been “wearing thin” and that the president had asked Musk to leave the administration. In taking away an electric vehicle mandate that benefited the Tesla CEO’s company, Trump said Musk “just went crazy.”
“I took away his EV Mandate that forced everyone to buy Electric Cars that nobody else wanted (that he knew for months I was going to do!), and he just went CRAZY!” Trump posted, referencing the repeal of a tax credit for electric vehicles that is part of a major reconciliation package.
In a subsequent post, Trump threatened to cancel government contracts with Musk’s companies that number in the billions or dollars.
“The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon’s Governmental Subsidies and Contracts. I was always surprised that Biden didn’t do it!” Trump said.
Musk’s company SpaceX has billions of dollars worth of contracts with the federal government, mostly with the Pentagon and NASA. He has other business interests with the government, particularly involving SpaceX’s Starlink satellite service.
The threat to cancel government contracts could be particularly damaging for Musk and a sign that the falling out between Trump and Musk is only escalating.
Trump told reporters in an Oval Office meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich earlier Thursday that he was “very surprised” and “very disappointed” in Musk, who spent millions of dollars to help Trump get elected, served in his administration for four months but has since mounted a campaign against the president’s signature policy bill.
“I’ve always liked Elon. And so I was very surprised. You saw the words he had for me, and he hasn’t said anything about me that’s bad. I’d rather have him criticize me than the bill. Because the bill is incredible,” Trump said during Thursday’s meeting with the German Chancellor.
The president at one point likened Musk to the bevy of former administration officials from his first term who went on to become outspoken critics.
Musk responded on social media, claiming credit for Trump’s electoral victory last November.
“Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate,” Musk wrote in response to a video of Trump’s comments.
“Such ingratitude,” he added.
Musk officially left his government role last Friday after leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and its efforts to slash government spending. Musk has since unloaded on a reconciliation package making its way through Congress for adding to the deficit.
Even when Trump surrounds himself with people who's loyalty far outweighs their capabilities, he's still going to run through cabinet members like toilet paper.
There is no level of sucking we haven't seen; in fact, I'm pretty sure we hold the patents on a few levels of sucking NOBODY had seen until the past few years.
I'm just curious now that Trump and Elon are officially going through a divorce, does this mean that The White House Tesla dealership is officially closed? Inquiring minds want to know.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
Elon Musk unleashed a fresh round of tweets Thursday evening, calling for President Trump to be impeached and declaring that SpaceX would begin decommissioning a spacecraft essential to NASA's operation.
Why it matters: Trump's threat to cancel billions of dollars of government contracts with Musk's companies has ignited a new round of escalation in the explosive civil war between the two former allies.
Driving the news: "In light of the President's statement about cancellation of my government contracts, SpaceX will begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately," Musk wrote on X.
The Dragon spacecraft, both crewed and cargo versions, have been relied upon for years to keep the International Space Station supplied and operating. Shutting them down would leave the ISS reliant on Russia.
The intrigue: Ian Miles Cheong, a prominent Musk supporter and right-wing activist on X, tweeted: "President vs Elon. Who wins? My money's on Elon. Trump should be impeached and JD Vance should replace him."
Musk responded to Cheong: "Yes." When another follower suggested they could finally be honest about the stupidity of Trump's tariffs, Musk posted: "The Trump tariffs will cause a recession in the second half of this year."
Billionaire Elon Musk alleged that President Trump has ties to convicted sex offender and financier Jeffrey Epstein as the part of his growing feud with the president, a fight that boiled over and turned personal on Thursday.
“Time to drop the really big bomb,” Musk wrote on X, the social platform he owns. “[Trump] is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public.”
Minutes later, he followed up: “Mark this post for the future. The truth will come out.”
Names of powerful people previously associated with Epstein — who died by suicide in a Manhattan jail in 2019 — including Trump, Prince Andrew and former President Clinton, have been mentioned in court documents related to Epstein’s decades of sexual abuse.
Trump, before he was elected in November, said he would have “no problem” releasing files relates to Epstein, something some lawmakers and many on social media have called for after Epstein’s death.
The president last year denied any connection to Epstein, writing on social media, “I was never on Epstein’s Plane, or at his ‘stupid’ Island. Strong Laws ought to be developed against A.I. It will be a big and very dangerous problem in the future!”
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Musk’s allegation came just minutes after Trump threatened to cancel government contracts with Musk’s companies, calling him “crazy” and escalating an explosive feud between the two former allies.
Musk, the world’s richest person who was granted extraordinary access to Trump’s government after he was elected, has criticized the “big, beautiful” spending bill Trump is trying to push through Congress.
The billionaire tech and media mogul suggested earlier Thursday that Trump would not have gotten elected last fall without him and called him ungrateful.
I knew they would fall out, but I never thought it could escalate this quickly.
Both have the impulse control of a toddler... but yeah... the relationship barely lasting 6 months before souring was even quicker than I would've guessed.
There is no level of sucking we haven't seen; in fact, I'm pretty sure we hold the patents on a few levels of sucking NOBODY had seen until the past few years.
I wonder if Memphis was trying to say it was up to congress to stop the trump prosposed BBB?
I'm thinking not, but.......
I don't think we can expect congress to do anything that goes contrary to what TACO wants. Some are talking a good game, but in the end, they'll give him what he wants and we are going to end up paying for it.
#GMSTRONG
“Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts.” Daniel Patrick Moynahan
"Alternative facts hurt us all. Think before you blindly believe." Damanshot
