Some Democrats worry that Elon Musk may be pushed out of government before they can target him in the midterm attack ads, according to a report.
Musk’s time as the Trump administration’s special government employee is coming to an end in May or early June, but many expect the White House to extend the role or find another way to keep him in a front-line position.
The unelected billionaire has proved an effective target for the Democrats after he has gutted federal agencies through the Department of Government Efficiency, but the party is “concerned” about their strategy if Musk takes a step back, Politico reports.
“As long as he’s there using a chainsaw to all the programs that people back home rely on and need to make ends meet, of course we’re going to make him a central character,” Rep. Lori Trahan of Massachusetts, the co-chair of the House Democrats' messaging committee, told the outlet.
“At some point, he will become a liability for the president, and they will sever ties. And we will adjust as we head into the midterms,” Trahan conceded.
The sentiment was backed by Rep. Glenn Ivey of Maryland. “There is some concern in some quarters that Trump’s going to kick him to the curb, and then we spent all this time sort of building this guy up as a focal point, but he’s gone,” Ivey previously told HuffPost.
Democratic pollster Paul Maslin said that Musk is “literally and symbolically the best foil” for the party. “Trump has taught us that politics works best when you’re simple and clear, and going after Musk’s power grab and Musk’s money grab … is simple,” he told Politico.
But not everyone is despairing about the Democrats’ strategy if Musk is no longer front and center in the run up to the midterms. Others point out that he is just one part of the message the party needs to land about the economy.
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokesperson Viet Shelton said that Democrats “are going to win” by reminding voters that “Republicans are failing at lowering costs because they are too busy pushing tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy.”
“Elon is, and forever will be, an instantly recognizable manifestation of the fact that House Republicans don’t work for the American people, they work for the billionaires,” Shelton told Politico in a statement.
Musk’s potential departure doesn’t mean the Democrats can’t remind voters about his unpopularity next year, similarly to how they retook the House in 2018 during Trump’s first term, others noted.
“When Democrats saved the Affordable Care Act during the first Trump administration, we still were able to campaign on the fact that we saved the Affordable Care Act when Republicans were trying to take people’s health care away,” Democratic Rep. Greg Casar of Texas told HuffPost. “If we fire Elon Musk, we’re still gonna be able to say that, yeah, we’re against billionaires stealing your money for themselves.”
Musk has proved unpopular with the public, according to recent polling, and the DOGE boss faced ridicule over the outcome of the Wisconsin Supreme Court race earlier this month.
The SpaceX CEO inserted himself in the race, handing out $1 million checks to two voters, campaigning in the state while wearing a cheesehead head and, perhaps most significantly, backing GOP pick Brad Schimel to the tune of $20 million. Susan Crawford decisively defeated the Musk-backed opponent.
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