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
Musk Blinks First in Trump Feud That Cost Him $34 Billion
(Bloomberg) -- When Elon Musk and Donald Trump joined forces during the presidential campaign, there was always a question over how long their alliance would last and who would prevail if it didn’t work out.
After the public spat between the world’s richest man and its most-powerful leader spun out of control on Thursday, the answer was clear: it was Musk who eventually backed down when Tesla Inc.’s stock price tanked and his net worth crumbled by $34 billion. The damage to Musk’s business empire will be difficult repair — with Tesla’s stock up only about 4% soon after the market’s open, recouping just some of its previous day’s slide.
After the fight wiped a record $153 billion from the market value of the electric carmaker Thursday and dragged down broader indexes, it became clear how much Musk had to lose. And he blinked, pulling back from a threat to idle SpaceX’s astronaut-carrying vehicle and heeding online advice to stand down from his attacks. At various points Musk claimed credit for Trump’s victory, endorsed his impeachment and even suggested the president was implicated in the sex crimes of Jeffrey Epstein.
By 9:20 p.m., Musk had calmed, telling a user on his X platform that cooling off for a couple of days was “good advice.” Still, it wasn’t clear Trump shared that view.
While there were signs Musk was looking for an off-ramp, including a Politico report that Trump staffers were working on arranging a call with the billionaire, a senior White House official said no call is in the works for Friday — and suggested that the proposal for a call came from the tech entrepreneur.
And in a sign Trump is still fuming over the spat, the official said the president is considering getting rid of a Tesla vehicle he obtained during a White House event staged to show solidarity with the automaker at a time when dealerships were facing protests and vandalism.
Musk did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The conflict marks a turning point in a relationship that defined the first several months of Trump’s return to office, when Musk and his small band of young techie coders raced through the government, seeking to slash spending, shutter agencies and cut the federal workforce. It also sends a warning shot to other billionaires who recently threw their support behind Trump, reminding them of the danger of crossing a president who is known to carry a grudge.
Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency seemed to embody Trump’s pledge to radically shrink the size of the government and act by executive order, circumventing Congress’ constitutional power over the purse strings. The effort ultimately fell short of its goal of cutting $1 trillion from the budget by ferreting out government waste — mustering just $180 billion of savings, by its own accounting.
But when Musk left his role late last month, the two appeared on good terms at an Oval Office press conference, where Musk said he expected to remain a friend and adviser to the president.
The tension began when Musk started attacking Trump’s signature legislation, the so-called “big beautiful bill” that would extend the Republican’s first-term tax cuts and tack on some new ones. To offset some of the cost, it also included spending cuts, including the elimination of a $7,500 tax credit for electric-vehicle buyers that JPMorgan Chase & Co. analysts estimate would deal a hit of roughly $1.2 billion to Tesla’s full-year profit.
Musk, who was also upset by Trump’s decision to withdraw the nomination of his associate Jared Isaacman to lead the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, started using his social-media feed to urge senators to kill the tax bill, calling it an “disgusting abomination” that would worsen the deficit and add to the national debt.
The opposition left Republican lawmakers in the awkward position of choosing sides between Musk, who has quickly become a key financial backer for the party’s political efforts, and Trump, the singular political force who has reshaped the party in his image.
Musk’s position, though, was largely waved off by the White House as a difference of opinion until the moment when Trump was asked about Musk’s lobbying during a televised meeting in the Oval Office with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
“I’m very disappointed in Elon. I’ve helped Elon a lot,” Trump said during the meeting. “He said the most beautiful things about me, and he hasn’t said bad about me personally, but I’m sure that’ll be next.”
It was then that a remarkable scene began to unfold. Musk started to rebuke Trump, firing off rebuttals on social media as the president spoke.
“Such ingratitude,” Musk posted, citing his financial support for Republicans during the 2024 election. “Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate.”
The two went on to argue about the nature of Musk’s departure from the White House. “Elon was ‘wearing thin,’ I asked him to leave, 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.
Musk responded that Trump’s claim he was asked to leave was “such an obvious lie” and “so sad.”
It continued to escalate. Musk floated the idea of creating a new political party “that actually represents the 80% in the middle” and continued to egg Trump on after the president threatened to cut off government contracts for Musk’s companies. That would pose a major hit to Musk, since SpaceX and Tesla have received is $22.5 billion from federal unclassified contracts since the 2000 fiscal year, according to Bloomberg Government data.
Musk appeared unconcerned about the financial risk of angering Trump. He responded “yes” to an X user’s suggestion Trump be impeached and replaced by Vice President JD Vance and argued that the president’s tariff regime would tip the country into a recession. Musk also needled Trump over his past relationship with Epstein: “Time to drop the really big bomb: @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT!” Musk wrote.
The White House declined to comment on the Epstein accusation.
On Wall Street, the reaction was swift and punishing. A selloff in Tesla stock built as the two traded barbs, driving it down at once point as much as 18%, before paring the loss slightly by the end of the trading day.
Several people in the party with ties to both Trump and Musk — as well as random social-media posters — tried to find a quick off-ramp for hostilities and clear a pathway to peace.
By late afternoon, with the power Trump wields threatening to wipe out a good chunk of Musk’s wealth, the message finally started to sink in.
In a reply to billionaire Bill Ackman, an ally of both Trump and Musk who said they should “make peace for the benefit of our great country,” Musk responded: “You’re not wrong.”
Steve Bannon calls for federal investigation into Musk after split with Trump
Steve Bannon on Friday called for the Trump administration to investigate Elon Musk, whose brewing feud with the president became public Thursday in a series of escalating tit-for-tat social media posts.
Bannon, a former White House chief strategist and an ally of President Trump, told CBS News that he wants the White House and Trump administration to probe alleged drug use by Musk, as well as the South African-native's immigration status.
"They have to do that. You have to take his security clearance. Investigate drug use and investigate his involvement" with China, Bannon said in a phone interview. "And you have to investigate his status as a citizen."
Bannon questioned whether Musk's path to citizenship was handled properly.
"If it turned out he overstayed visas and lied about it, it's not right. It has to be investigated," Bannon said.
Musk, the world's richest man, was at first a powerful voice in the White House, after spending some $277 million in support of Mr. Trump's election campaign. Mr. Trump lauded the cost-cutting efforts of the Musk-inspired Department of Government Efficiency during a March speech before Congress, but their relationship has since soured.
Bannon now believes DOGE needs greater scrutiny from the administration.
"Did they take data sets to feed into their AI model? This has to be investigated now. He's an unstable individual. What did DOGE do? What did DOGE find?" Bannon asked, saying it's a matter of "national security."
Bannon has criticized Musk for years, claiming to CBS News in March 2023 that Musk was "owned by the Chinese Communist Party." In January, he called Musk "out of control."
Bannon said Friday he is in "touch with the White House at many levels."
His comments came the day after Mr. Trump and Musk's relationship broke down in a series of dramatic, public outbursts that erupted over Musk's withering criticisms of Republicans' tax and budget bill.
The president said Musk "went CRAZY!" and threatened to cancel Musk's lucrative government contracts. Musk claimed that Mr. Trump could not have won the presidency without him, voiced support for impeachment and claimed the president's name appeared in files related to the case of Jeffrey Epstein, the deceased financier who died by suicide in federal custody in 2019 while facing charges of sex trafficking.
Throughout the back and forth, Mr. Trump continued to defend the budget bill Musk opposes.
"I don't mind Elon turning against me, but he should have done so months ago. This is one of the Greatest Bills ever presented to Congress," Mr. Trump posted on his social media site.
Elon Musk is a naturalized US citizen. But maybe Bannon doesn't know that or more likely he doubts if trump would allow something like that to stop him.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
If trump gave security clearances to a drug user to access a lot of American's information, what does that say about his vetting process and hiring the best with no dei.
Trump says Elon Musk will face 'very serious consequences' if he funds Democratic candidates
President Donald Trump on Saturday said there would be “serious consequences” if tech mogul Elon Musk funds Democratic candidates to run against Republicans who vote in favor of the GOP’s sweeping budget bill.
“If he does, he’ll have to pay the consequences for that,” Trump told NBC News in a phone interview, but declined to share what those consequences would be.
“He’ll have to pay very serious consequences if he does that,” he added.
this has been a great (pathetically speaking) weekend of American Reality TV.
who could've seen Elon and Trump falling out this quickly (other than a few of us on this board)?
i dont want to hear another man ever say women are too emotional to lead. cause what the hell is this...
“To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.”
Trump says Elon Musk will face 'very serious consequences' if he funds Democratic candidates
President Donald Trump on Saturday said there would be “serious consequences” if tech mogul Elon Musk funds Democratic candidates to run against Republicans who vote in favor of the GOP’s sweeping budget bill.
“If he does, he’ll have to pay the consequences for that,” Trump told NBC News in a phone interview, but declined to share what those consequences would be.
“He’ll have to pay very serious consequences if he does that,” he added.
Bro, one of the worst things that happens is predicting how things go (terribly), being right (awful) and still having people sit there like “You people are on the wrong side of every issue!”
To me, yeah I know the last guy clearly was in mental decline………but that doesn’t excuse the exuberance that so many people have for the current “actual leadership” we are seeing right now from a guy who *checks notes* goes to war on his social media company vs his right hand man who also owns a social media company.
We have a talk show host in charge of the DoD, a 22 year old in charge of counter terrorism, and so many other red flags that would slap the ordinary rational thinker in the face, but………here we are………
Blue ostriches on crack float on milkshakes between the sidewalk titans of gurglefitz. --YTown
Bro, one of the worst things that happens is predicting how things go (terribly), being right (awful) and still having people sit there like “You people are on the wrong side of every issue!”
To me, yeah I know the last guy clearly was in mental decline………but that doesn’t excuse the exuberance that so many people have for the current “actual leadership” we are seeing right now from a guy who *checks notes* goes to war on his social media company vs his right hand man who also owns a social media company.
We have a talk show host in charge of the DoD, a 22 year old in charge of counter terrorism, and so many other red flags that would slap the ordinary rational thinker in the face, but………here we are………
yep. look at your last sentence.
Kamala was gonna be a DEI president based on what we were told. Well, they gotta explain the current hires in this administration...
“To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.”
Can’t take back the TRUTH Elon. Republicans are the party of human trafficking and pedophilia. Trump is in both the Epstien tapes and the Diddy tapes. And there are many more VIPs in them. It’ll all come out one day.
USAID Official and Three Corporate Executives Plead Guilty to Decade-Long Bribery Scheme Involving Over $550 Million in Contracts; Two Companies Admit Criminal Liability for Bribery Scheme and Securities Fraud
Thursday, June 12, 2025 Share right caret For Immediate Release Office of Public Affairs Four men, including a government contracting officer for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and three owners and presidents of companies, have pleaded guilty for their roles in a decade-long bribery scheme involving at least 14 prime contracts worth over $550 million in U.S. taxpayer dollars.
Roderick Watson, 57, of Woodstock, Maryland, who worked as a USAID contracting officer, pleaded guilty to bribery of a public official; Walter Barnes, 46, of Potomac, Maryland, who was the owner and president of PM Consulting Group LLC doing business as Vistant (Vistant), a certified small business under the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) 8(a) contracting program, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery of a public official and securities fraud; Darryl Britt, 64, of Myakka City, Florida, who was the owner and president of Apprio, Inc. (Apprio), a certified small business under the SBA 8(a) contracting program, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery of a public official; and Paul Young, 62, of Columbia, Maryland, who was the president of a subcontractor to Vistant and Apprio, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery of a public official. In addition, Apprio and Vistant, both of which contracted with USAID, have agreed to admit criminal liability and enter into three-year deferred prosecution agreements (DPAs) in connection with criminal informations filed today in the District of Maryland. As part of these resolutions, both Apprio and Vistant admitted to engaging in a conspiracy to commit bribery of a public official and securities fraud. The DPAs entered into with Apprio and Vistant require each company to, among other obligations, provide ongoing cooperation with and disclosures to the Justice Department, implement a compliance and ethics program, and report to Justice Department regarding remediation and implementation of these compliance measures.
“The defendants sought to enrich themselves at the expense of American taxpayers through bribery and fraud,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Their scheme violated the public trust by corrupting the federal government’s procurement process. Anybody who cares about good and effective government should be concerned about the waste, fraud, and abuse in government agencies, including USAID. Those who engage in bribery schemes to exploit the U.S. Small Business Administration’s vital economic programs for small businesses — whether individuals or corporations acting through them — will be held to account.”
“Watson was entrusted to serve the interests of the American people — not his own — and his criminal actions for his own personal gain undermine the integrity of our public institutions,” said U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes for the District of Maryland. “Public trust is a hallmark of our nation’s values, so corruption within a federal government agency is intolerable. This office, along with our law enforcement partners, will continue to pursue and prosecute corruption at every level to ensure accountability and protect public trust.”
“The guilty pleas reflect the FBI’s unwavering commitment to holding accountable all those who abuse the authority and responsibility of public service,” said Assistant Director Joe Perez of the FBI's Criminal Division. “The actions of the defendants in this scheme serve to erode public trust. The FBI is focused on rebuilding this trust and protecting American taxpayers from corruption through investigations such as these.”
“Corruption in government programs will not be tolerated. Watson abused his position of trust for personal gain while federal contractors engaged in a pay-to-play scheme,” said Acting Assistant Inspector General for Investigations Sean Bottary of the USAID Office of Inspector General (USAID-OIG). “USAID-OIG is firmly committed to rooting out fraud and corruption within U.S. foreign assistance programs. Today’s announcement underscores our unwavering focus on exposing criminal activity, including bribery schemes by those entrusted to faithfully award government contracts. We appreciate our longstanding partnership with the Department of Justice in holding accountable those who defraud American taxpayers.”
“Watson exploited his position at USAID to line his pockets with bribes in exchange for more than $550 million in contracts. While he helped three company owners and presidents bypass the fair bidding process, he was showered with cash and lavish gifts,” said Chief Guy Ficco of IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI). “Through its financial crime investigations, IRS-CI works to protect taxpayer dollars and ensure government funds are awarded based on merit — not corruption. In close coordination with our law enforcement partners, IRS-CI helped put an end to their greed and criminal conduct. Now, Watson and his co-conspirators will face justice.”
Overview of Bribery Scheme
According to court documents, beginning in 2013, Watson, while a USAID contracting officer, agreed with Britt to receive bribes in exchange for using Watson’s influence to award contracts to Apprio. As a certified small business under the SBA 8(a) contracting program, which helps socially and economically disadvantaged businesses, Apprio could access lucrative federal contracting opportunities through set-asides and sole-source contracts exclusively available to eligible contractors without a competitive bid process.
Vistant was a subcontractor to Apprio on one of the contracts awarded through Watson’s influence. After Apprio graduated from the SBA 8(a) program and it was no longer eligible to be a prime contractor for new contracts with USAID under this program, the scheme shifted so that Vistant became the prime contractor and Apprio became the subcontractor on USAID contracts awarded through Watson’s influence between 2018 and 2022.
During the scheme, Britt and Barnes paid bribes to Watson that were often concealed by passing them through Young, who was the president of another subcontractor to Apprio and Vistant. Britt and Barnes also regularly funneled bribes to Watson, including cash, laptops, thousands of dollars in tickets to a suite at an NBA game, a country club wedding, downpayments on two residential mortgages, cellular phones, and jobs for relatives. The bribes were also often concealed through electronic bank transfers falsely listing Watson on payroll, incorporated shell companies, and false invoices. Watson is alleged to have received bribes valued at more than approximately $1 million as part of the scheme.
In exchange for the bribe payments, Watson influenced the award of contracts to Apprio and Vistant by manipulating the procurement process at USAID through various means, including recommending their companies to other USAID decisionmakers for non-competitive contract awards, disclosing sensitive procurement information during the competitive bidding process, providing positive performance evaluations to a government agency, and approving decisions on the contracts, such as increased funding and a security clearance.
Apprio and Vistant also agreed to resolve concurrently with the Justice Department in its separate Civil False Claims Act investigations relating to the bribery scheme.
Overview of Vistant Securities Fraud Scheme
According to court documents, in 2022, Barnes and Watson defrauded a licensed small business investment company (SBIC), in furtherance of the bribery scheme, by inducing it into executing a credit agreement with Vistant. Through the credit agreement, Barnes caused Vistant to issue stock warrants that, if exercised, would result in the SBIC having a 40% equity stake in Vistant. The credit agreement also provided for a $14 million loan to Vistant from which Barnes could pay himself a $10 million dividend. Prior to executing the credit agreement, Watson agreed at Barnes’s request to speak with the SBIC about Vistant’s performance as a government contractor on USAID contracts. When speaking with the SBIC, Watson omitted that Barnes had bribed Watson to obtain USAID contracts for years. Watson’s endorsement of Vistant thereafter induced the SBIC to enter into the credit agreement with Barnes.
Overview of Apprio Securities Fraud Scheme
According to court documents, in 2023, Apprio, acting through Britt, engaged in a scheme in which Apprio fraudulently induced a private equity firm, which had an investment pool that was licensed as a SBIC, to purchase from Apprio’s parent company a 20% equity stake in the company for $4 million and simultaneously extend it a $4 million loan secured by shares of Apprio stock. In addition to making false material representations in the stock purchase and loan agreements, Britt intentionally omitted during his negotiations the material fact that he had bribed Watson for years, which was intended to deceive and induce the private equity company into executing the agreements.
Deferred Prosecution Agreements with Apprio and Vistant
The Justice Department reached its resolution with Apprio based on several factors, including Apprio’s credit for clearly accepting responsibility for its criminal conduct, fully cooperating in the investigation and engaging in timely remedial measures. Based on these factors, the criminal penalty calculated under the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines reflects a 10% reduction off the bottom of the applicable Guidelines fine range pursuant to the Criminal Division Corporate Enforcement and Voluntary Self-Disclosure Policy (CEP). According to court documents, Apprio agreed that the appropriate criminal penalty based on the law and facts in its case is $51,673,185; however, Apprio also met its burden of establishing an inability to pay the criminal penalty sought. Based on the Justice Department’s independent analysis, it determined that paying a criminal penalty and civil settlement greater than $500,000 would substantially threaten the continued viability of Apprio. Accordingly, the Justice Department determined that the appropriate resolution of this case is a DPA and a payment of $500,000 in a civil settlement.
Similarly, the Justice Department reached its resolution with Vistant based on a number of factors, including Vistant’s credit for clearly accepting responsibility for its criminal conduct and cooperating with the investigation. Although Vistant’s cooperation was initially delayed and limited, Vistant began to fully cooperate thereafter. Vistant also received credit for engaging in timely remedial measures. Based on these factors, the penalty calculated under the Guidelines reflects a 5% reduction off the bottom of the applicable Guidelines fine range pursuant to the CEP. Vistant agreed that the appropriate criminal penalty based on the law and facts in its case is $86,407,740; however, Vistant also met its burden of establishing an inability to pay the criminal penalty sought. Based on the Justice Department’s independent analysis, it determined that paying a criminal penalty and civil settlement greater than $100,000 would substantially threaten the continued viability of Vistant. Accordingly, the Justice Department determined that the appropriate resolution of this case is a DPA and a payment of $100,000 in a civil settlement.
Watson is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 6, and faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison. Young is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 3 and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. Britt is scheduled to be sentenced on July 28 and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. Barnes is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 14 and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
The FBI, USAID-OIG, and IRS-CI are investigating the cases.
Trial Attorneys Matt Kahn and Brandon Burkart of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick D. Kibbe for the District of Maryland are prosecuting the cases.
