Brains, you know, are suspect in the Republican Party – Walter Lippman, American intellectual
by S. Jayasankaran
All is not well in Scamelot.
President Donald Trump and First Buddy Elon Musk have fallen out faster than a speeding Tesla.
When the world’s most powerful man clashes with the planet’s richest man, expect fireworks! Even Don King, always quick to give odds, scurried for cover.
A week ago, the President presented Musk a golden key to the White House amid lavish praise for his contributions towards cutting government jobs.
Now the White House’s changed its locks. The reason: Musk criticised Trump’s tax-and-spend legislation, his ”Big, Beautiful Bill” which aims to enrich the wealthy and, among others, cut medical care for the poor. He called it an “abomination.”
It isn’t exactly clear what Musk objected to but it’s unlikely he disliked lower taxes or reduced welfare.
And things rapidly escalated to DEFCON 3. That’s when Musk alleged Trump didn’t declassify the Epstein files – which he’d promised – because it incriminated him. Jeffrey Epstein was a party-throwing socialite who killed himself after being arrested for molesting minors.
Apart from the minor kerfuffle, it was just another day in Trump’s America, his Home of the Knave and the Land of the Fee.
If Obama had attempted even a little of what Trump’s done so far, he’d have been tarred and feathered. Since his inauguration, Blomberg reports that the Trump family has raked in US$2.1 billion through investments mainly from Middle Eastern countries anxious to gain leverage in Washington. It’s barely elicited a disapproving tut-tut from the Republicans.
The inflows haven’t stopped either. Trump recently accepted a US$400 million jet from Qatar, ostensibly to replace Air Force One although he made it clear that the plane’s his. Again, there’s been little domestic criticism apart from some embarrassed hand-wringing among both parties.
For the record, the acceptance of gifts by a serving President from foreign nationals is barred by constitutional statute. It is, therefore, illegal.
The Grifter-in-Chief simply did things no one expects a president to do. And so far, he’s gotten away with it.
In his first week, for example, he fired all 17 Inspectors-General in federal agencies. IGs are independent executives charged with protecting taxpayer money from fraud, corruption or conflicts of interest.
Their offices are set up under Congressional Act so their firings were, and are, blatantly illegal. Despite press alarm, Congress was loudly silent.
The passivity of both Houses – Republican controlled, both – appears to have emboldened the President and he’s not looked back since: he’s left no turn unstoned so to speak.
He’s taken a wrecking ball to the universities, museums, the arts, and even “soft-power” agencies like USAID. The latter is dispiriting as it cuts aid to the poorest of the world.
Then he ignored Congress altogether and began a global trade war that’s still playing out.
The only ones holding out against him are the courts but he seems to have brushed that away by ignoring its rulings. No one has cited him for contempt.
Yet.
Even so, the Sacker-in-Chief’s only real threat may be his former best bud, the Nazi-saluting, ketamine-ingesting, multi-children-having zillionaire Elon Musk.
The tycoon reportedly spent US$300 million helping the Donald to the Presidency.
How much do you think he might be willing to splurge to get him out?
The thoughts expressed here are entirely those of the writer
WE