‘That will not go over very well for the president-elect’: Trump’s possible split from Elon Musk is predicted by a former political journalist
Political observers have begun predicting the inevitable, ego-driven fracture between President-elect Donald Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk, with former political journalist Sam Stein pointing to a clear tipping point that could end their alliance.
“The problem is, of course, if Elon starts stealing his thunder, the spotlight, and it becomes apparent that Elon is more powerful than Trump, that will not go over very well for the president-elect,” Stein said during a Monday television appearance on MSNBC’s Morning Joe.
The brewing tension surfaced this weekend when Trump felt compelled to address speculation about Musk’s growing influence. “No, he’s not going to be president, that I can tell you,” Trump told a conservative gathering in Phoenix. “And I’m safe, you know why? He can’t be—he wasn’t born in this country.”s
His use of the word “safe” is interesting because it possibly suggests what follows—that fact that Musk is South African by birth—is perhaps the lone barrier to Trump actually being Musk’s puppet.
Trump’s defensive response followed a week where Musk’s social media opposition helped derail a crucial spending bill, demonstrating unprecedented power for an unelected figure and undermining the president-elect in the process. The display prompted Rep. Tony Gonzales to declare on CBS News that it “feels as if Elon Musk is our prime minister.” Democrats have seized on this dynamic, deliberately stoking Trump’s well-documented sensitivity to being upstaged. Sen. Chris Coons warned that beyond Trump’s “rage-tweeting,” the country would now have “Elon Musk also injecting instability into how we tackle very complicated and important issues.”
Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, drawing from his own experience in Trump’s orbit, predicted the relationship’s decline: “When you initially begin in that role, you have enormous influence… It will always decline. And that’s what happens. And you’ll see it. It will happen with Elon Musk, too.”
The Trump camp has pushed back against speculation about internal friction. “You see what the media is trying to do to break up the relationship that my father has with Elon,” Donald Trump Jr. told the conference crowd. “They’re trying to cause that schism to prevent these guys doing what they’re going to do best.” Trump, sort of, putting his foot down on the public perception of his relationship with Musk is tricky, as he was a major donor, essentially paying for his first-class ticket into American politics. He’s expecting a near-immediate return on his investment. He’s paid for the shiny dime tour of governmental power, and he wants the whole thrill.
Sen. Markwayne Mullin curiously insisted the two were “working together as a team” during the spending bill debate, telling CNN that “Elon was taking one task that President Trump wanted. And President Trump was taking the other task.” The situation raises deeper concerns about democratic governance as the world’s wealthiest individual—who, again, spent hundreds of millions supporting Trump’s campaign—prepares to wield direct influence over government policy through his appointed role at the new Department of Government Efficiency.
Some see the arrangement as inherently unstable, given Trump’s history with prominent allies. The spending bill episode offered a preview: Musk moved first in opposing it, forcing Trump to play catch-up in his own party’s policy direction. For now, both men benefit from their alliance—Musk through government access and Trump through both financial backing and social media amplification. But as one power center emerges to challenge another, many observers believe it’s only a matter of time before the partnership goes up in smoke.
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