[AnimalMuppet]

Both are trying to use the other. Both are content, so far, with the current situation. But Trump is going to bail first, because his ego is more prickly. He's not going to be able to stand the constant comments that Musk owns him.

[SavageBeast]

I agree this is the current plan from Trump adversaries. They recognize the combined power of Trump's POTUS authority and Musk's money and they're anxious to try and exploit any opening they can find no matter how small. Frankly this combination will be very damaging to left wing priorities and I can see why they're anxious to try and sow division.

Remember Trump has vowed to primary Republican reps who don't get in line with the current party agenda. Musk has vowed to fund these alternative candidates, even funding moderate democrats in blue districts. Trump will need Musk's money to make these things a reality.

From my reading of the news, its seems more of a made up "rift" than an actual thing, though I get the impression opposition badly wants to sell it as a factual thing. The more the left tries to sell the narrative that "Trump is Elon's bitch" the more they look desperate and afraid of the power the two of them working together represents. The Left appears to be properly terrified of this, even from my far off point of view just having access to The News. They're not scared because they're winning and I can see that from here, so surely the main people involved can see it too.

Its a pretty good life rule that the person screaming the loudest is generally losing. This is really just a variant of the ole "Putin has dirty pictures of Trump and he owns him!" narrative all over again.

[gigatexal]

Yup. The guy that led an insurrection to overturn an election is the guy you want to back? And now with 400B to “wield”?

Do you hate the “woke” left so much that you’ll let some guy sell everything good about America to its enemies?

[SavageBeast]

I wonder if you're missing my point here. Whatever Trump did or didn't do, whatever he represents to you, whatever evil things he's been accused of ... 77 million American voters chose him over a willing and available alternative. Its seems clear that the whole TRUMP==BAD campaign failed miserably if an election victory is any indication.

My point in a nutshell is simple; calling Trump names didn't work the first time and may have even helped him get reelected. If he is to be hampered, its too late to totally stop him, is this really the way to do it? Quadruple down on a losing strategy yet again?

Attacking Trump as a person failed. Attacking Trump on policy didn't seem to fare much better. Whats left at this point? 77 million people looked at the charges levied against him, and then voted for him anyhow. The rational response to this from his opponents is to continue down the same failed path? Its just performative theatrics at this point I think. The die has been cast.

[gigatexal]

While it failed politically and people voted for him I think they did because they didn’t have a good enough alternative ans in our two party system that’s what you get. If you vote at all you end up picking the donkey or the elephant.

It doesn’t change the facts though. He’s a bad dude. (Convicted of sexual assault remember) A transactional dude. A guy who doesn’t care about America or anything. He just wanted to stay out of jail and make his friends rich.

Now we have weirdo right wing folks from silicon valley going to run things with a guy who admires our enemies and who has “a concept of a plan” on how to solve things.

It never ceases to amaze me how folks on HN saw Trump as their coming out moment: “oh it’s cool now I can let my friends right wing techno libertarian flag fly, the real estate tv mogul from NYC is now president and is allied with white supremacists and mysoginy. I like those things!” ;-)

I think people again didn’t have a viable alternative, didn’t think he could be so bad (he will be), and are just apathetic to enough and (erroneously) thinking that Biden’s policies on the economy — they blamed him for inflation — were so bad the tax cut and spend guy is going to do anything good for the economy.

82M people voted for Biden in 2020…