[rayiner]

But the power Musk holds isn’t the result of him being rich, it’s because he has a populist cult of personality. The candidate who spent twice the money lost the election. Musk has power because he got on stage with Trump in Pennsylvania promising to fire all the federal workers.

[turtlesdown11]

Absolutely incorrect. Musk holds power because he spent $290m on the election boosting the winning candidate.

[rayiner]

But the money didn’t win the election.

[turtlesdown11]

source?

[unclebucknasty]

>Musk has power because he got on stage with Trump in Pennsylvania promising to fire all the federal workers.

From Gallup [0]—top issues among all registered voters:

The economy

Democracy in the U.S.

Terrorism and national security

Types of Supreme Court justices candidates would pick

Immigration

Education

Healthcare

Gun policy

Abortion

^^Taxes

Crime

Distribution of income and wealth in the U.S.

^^The federal budget deficit

Foreign affairs

Situation in Middle East between Israelis and Palestinians

Energy policy

Relations with Russia

Race relations

Relations with China

Trade with other nations

Climate change

Transgender rights

^^Items under which "firing all federal workers" could conceivably fit, and that's a massive stretch. Still, even with that generosity granted, they're 10th and 13th on the list.

[0] https://news.gallup.com/poll/651719/economy-important-issue-...

[rayiner]

If you look at polling, Trump voters prioritized democracy slightly more highly than Harris voters. The permanent government is a democracy issue.

[unclebucknasty]

Not even Trump or Musk is making this claim as the driving purpose of DOGE.