On matters of policy, I would say no, absolutely not. We are fighting the Trump budget on the grounds that it will strip millions of their health insurance.* Musk's main problem with the bill is that it increases the deficit by not stripping enough people of their health insurance.
On the other hand, the alarming side of the prospect of a Trump/Musk split has always been that one of them will win -- presumably Trump. The prospect of Trump using the state to take down the world's richest man has a certain satisfaction, but it has alarming implications. Hugo Chavez and Recep Erdogan both used fail coup attempts as pretexts to crack down on their opponents and consolidate their dictatorships.
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*And other reasons as well that I hope to write about, but this is the one with the most public pull.
**I can even see a reasonable case for some of these things. There is widespread suspicion that Musk has used DOGE to increase his federal contracts at the expense of rivals which, if true, should be rolled back. Many people have made the case that Starlink is too great a concentration of military power in the hands of a private citizen and should be nationalized. And while I see no good reason to deport Musk for technical visa violations, it has been happening to a lot of people lately and what's sauce for the goose may be sauce for the gander. But to the extent these things are politically motivated, they are extremely dangerous and must be fought.
***What do I make of Musk's allegations that there is incriminating material against Trump in the Epstein files? Trump's friendship with Epstein, and his knowledge that Epstein likes 'em young are well documented. Musk has had enough access to government at all levels that he might have some inside information. On the other hand, Musk has a longstanding history of believing false and wildly paranoid things, so don't jump to any conclusions.
*And other reasons as well that I hope to write about, but this is the one with the most public pull.
**I can even see a reasonable case for some of these things. There is widespread suspicion that Musk has used DOGE to increase his federal contracts at the expense of rivals which, if true, should be rolled back. Many people have made the case that Starlink is too great a concentration of military power in the hands of a private citizen and should be nationalized. And while I see no good reason to deport Musk for technical visa violations, it has been happening to a lot of people lately and what's sauce for the goose may be sauce for the gander. But to the extent these things are politically motivated, they are extremely dangerous and must be fought.
***What do I make of Musk's allegations that there is incriminating material against Trump in the Epstein files? Trump's friendship with Epstein, and his knowledge that Epstein likes 'em young are well documented. Musk has had enough access to government at all levels that he might have some inside information. On the other hand, Musk has a longstanding history of believing false and wildly paranoid things, so don't jump to any conclusions.
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