A couple of days after Christmas, Donald Trump posted something very odd, even by his standards. He accidentally posted a personal text to his BFF, Elon Musk, on Truth Social. (Trump staffers confirmed to CNN that the message was intended to remain private.) Sounding downright forlorn, the president-elect wondered when his pal would return to Mar-a-Lago ("the center of the universe") because he misses him and his son, X. He also mentioned that the New Year's Eve party was going to be "AMAZING" and that Bill Gates had asked to come to dinner.
Where are you? When are you coming to the “Center of the Universe,” Mar-a-Lago. Bill Gates asked to come, tonight. We miss you and x! New Year’s Eve is going to be AMAZING!!! DJT
— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) December 27, 2024
Donald Trump Truth Social 08:47 AM EST 12/27/24
Sometimes you can be lonely even in a room full of people, so perhaps Trump needs the richest man in the world by his side to make him feel loved. But it's also possible that he senses his new best buddy is no longer as interested in him and has instead decided that he's going to play president without him. Where are you?
Trump, for his part, is spending his days down in Mar-a-Lago golfing, holding casting sessions for his administration and wining and dining CEOs who might be able to boost his personal fortune over the next four years. He doesn't appear to be paying very close attention to what's been going on in Washington or among his MAGA faithful. Several times now, he's been late off the mark, belatedly following Musk's lead after all hell broke loose.
It happened just before Christmas when he was busy golfing while Musk blew up the continuing resolution and almost caused a government shutdown. Trump later attempted to appear to have taken control by pretending that he had been the one to decide the deal was untenable due to overspending while at the same time demanding that Congress raise or eliminate the debt ceiling before he took office. The Republican hardliners balked and didn't extend or eliminate the debt ceiling and they ended up passing a watered-down version of the original deal with Democratic votes. Trump looked weak, Musk looked strong and the MAGA/Freedom Caucus appeared to be siding with Musk rather than Dear Leader.
Over the past week, more fault lines appeared in the coalition, with Musk once more right in the middle of it.
While Trump was photographed on the golf course and entertaining his dinner guests with his insufferably weird playlist of "YMCA" and Pavarotti, an online war broke out between the MIA friend Musk and some of Trump's most loyal MAGA activists. The problem began last weekend when Trump named Indian-born Sriram Krishnan, as his senior policy advisor on AI, to work with another Musk associate and fellow South African-born David Sachs, his new AI and "crypto czar." That got the attention of some MAGA loyalists, notably Laura Loomer who was, until recently, a great friend of the president-elect, even traveling with him on his campaign plane. She noticed that Krishnan is a big proponent of the H-1B visa program which allows skilled workers to come into the US to work temporarily, many of them from Asia. The tech sector makes particular use of this program.
Loomer went after the program, saying it was unfair to native-born Americans and began complaining that the loyal MAGA followers were being left out of the administration in favor of these tech-bro interlopers who were betraying the American First cause. Other MAGA followers weighed in making it clear that they did not want any brown foreigners coming into the country. They voted for Trump because he said he was going to get them all out. They don't see any difference between a Guatemalan migrant, a Haitian refugee or a Pakistani engineer.
It was at this point Musk personally joined the conversation, explaining that in order the make America great again they would need to hire lots of foreign engineers and programmers because they're the best and it would help the team. That didn't go over very well. Soon his deputy, Vivek Ramaswamy, joined the fray, posting a long screed about how American mediocrity, bad culture and a compulsion to worship prom queens instead of smart nerds makes it impossible for the country to succeed. It surely made incels everywhere rejoice that they have finally been seen but it enraged the MAGA faithful online even more.
Meanwhile, Loomer and her cadre were going specifically after Musk, suggesting that he was playing Donald Trump for a fool. She wrote at one point, “The elephant in the room is that [Musk], who is not MAGA and never has been, is a total fucking drag on the Trump transition. He’s a stage 5 clinger who overstayed his welcome at Mar a Lago in an effort to become Trump’s side piece and be the point man for all of his accomplices in big Tech to slither in to Mar a Lago."
Everything went downhill from there, with this post perfectly distilling the argument. (Musk has since deleted his tweet in agreement):
— Sophia Tesfaye (@SophiaTesfaye) December 30, 2024
He later called his MAGA critics "contemptible fools" and said to one, "take a big step back and FUCK YOURSELF in the face. I will go to war on this issue the likes of which you cannot possibly comprehend." But at least he didn't call them deplorable. That would be very bad.
It got even uglier at that point with the likes of Steve Bannon, Charlie Kirk and Jack Posobiec getting in on the act as Musk proceeded to suspend the X privileges of a number of his critics, including Loomer.
Charlie Kirk fires back at Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy.
— Ron Smith (@Ronxyz00) December 28, 2024
"It's what the American people want. The American people overwhelmingly voted for less immigration and the prioritization of the American children and the American worker— not the American oligarch."
We're witnessing… pic.twitter.com/UyumUMTQxJ
Bannon: “Oh yeah, tough guy? You’re a man child.”
— The Tennessee Holler (@TheTNHoller) December 29, 2024
Bannon responds to Musk calling MAGA “Racist” and saying he’s ready for “war” over the H-1B Visas — says he won’t take the temperature down, he’s “fixing bayonets” and “doubling down” (even though Trump sided with Elon) pic.twitter.com/FXLMP6Z1MS
Everyone had wondered if Trump was ever going to put down his golf clubs and say something. When he finally did it was in an interview with the NY Post in which he declared that he thinks the H-1B visas are just great and he uses them all the time at his properties.
Trump was extremely hostile to these visas in the past, as one of his most loyal activists, Jack Posobiec pointed out:
Trump:
— Jack Poso 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) December 29, 2024
"I know the H1-B very well, I shouldn't be allowed to use it. We shouldn't have it. It is very, very bad and unfair for our workers and it should be ended" pic.twitter.com/04yWzJktnq
In 2020 he formally signed an order suspending the entry of all H-1B workers:
President Trump in 2020: "As we speak, we’re finalizing H1-B regulations so that no American worker is replaced ever again."
— PatriotTakes 🇺🇸 (@patriottakes) December 29, 2024
What changed? pic.twitter.com/OTPBs0CeWv
Once again, it's pretty obvious who wears the presidential pants in this new administration — and it isn't Donald Trump.
Elon Musk won yet another internecine GOP brawl and proved that he has the next president of the United States firmly under his thumb. Trump seems to be dazzled by him and his tech-bro billionaire buds in the same way he's dazzled by Vladimir Putin. Having the richest man in the world be his friend is more meaningful to him than being president again.
I think we've all been thinking that Trump was going to get jealous and kick Musk to the curb sooner rather than later. But that's no sure thing. He's lost more than a step. He's four years older than when he left the White House and he's bored with the details of the presidency. From what we're seeing, he's ready to let his bff do whatever he wants and it's becoming clear to the MAGA activists who've worshipped him that it's not going to be Musk who's kicked to the curb — it's going to be them.
