[strangeloops85]

So the White House (where doge sits) has direct access to anyone’s tax returns. I assume this can be used to blackmail or threaten anyone they don’t like?

Imagine the outcry if the Biden White House had tried to do this, especially because Trump has never (to this day!) posted his tax returns..

[AnimalMuppet]

Hmm. Tinfoil hat time...

Musk could use this to get Trump's tax returns. That could be blackmail material on Trump. (And the Supreme Court, in the same way.) He could leverage that into getting an even freer hand to do whatever he wants.

Now who's ruling the country? People talked about "President Musk", but that was just sarcasm (we think). But he could use this to really be "the power behind the throne", with money, media clout, and blackmail material on all the office holders.

Is that just tinfoil-hat level paranoia? Or is it what's really going on? (Or, between the two, is it not necessarily what's going on, but still a real concern?)

[Terr_]

When Trump illegally "paused" funding for electric vehicle charging networks, I wondered if it was (among other possibilities) an attempt to get some extortion leverage over Musk.

The inner dynamics must be fascinating, even without one of Musk's broodlings telling Trump to shush his mouth on TV.

[blactuary]

He already has Trump's Twitter DMs, which might be even more useful than his tax returns for blackmail

[drweevil]

And what about Elon’s tax returns?

[renegade-otter]

Blackmailing someone who controls the DOJ is a very bad idea. That one. Secondly, you cannot blackmail Trump with this. His cult followers just shrug because, you know - her emails.

[duxup]

Trump has been pretty skilled at finding people to do his dirty work ... and they pay the price.

Not saying your tinfoil hat is any less likely, but Trump has a pattern too, and he's the only one SCOTUS has declared off limits.

[hooverd]

Trump is happy to golf and sign EOs.

Musk... Has probably cooked his brain on a combination of stimulants and ketamine and Neo-Nazi Twitter. He's living on entirely frictionless life because of his money and thinks his scions will be the princes of Mars.

[kbenson]

The wildest thing about this take is that it seems fairly plausible at this point.

[WeylandYutani]

Remember when Trump denied knowledge of project 2025?

[hooverd]

I do. I don't even fault Trump for lying anymore; he's famous for reneging on his word. I think the media in their quest for "objectiveness" seem to have given up on object permanence. "Surely the leopards with their history of eating faces and Eating Faces 2025 platform would never eat faces, they've given me, a very special boy, their word!"