‘When does this end?’: A former Republican mayor predicts Trump and Elon Musk’s break-up
When will it end? Soon. How will it end? Not well. While this may seem like prediction world itself given recent events in politics, it’s actually a fortune for the fate Elon Musk and Donald Trump’s relationship – made by a Republican.
“When does this end?” ABC News correspondent Johnathan Karl asked Chris Christie of Musk and Trump’s political affair. The former New Jersey governor replied, “It ends when Trump believes that something has gone wrong, and he needs someone to blame and Musk becomes the person to blame.” Though Christie stresses “no one knows how long [it] will take” for Musk to fall out of favor with Trump, he’s certain that the day will come.
Musk is currently in hot – boiling – water with Donald Trump after recently tanking a bipartisan bill set to pass in Congress before the holidays. In the early hours of the morning, Musk launched off a slew of misinformed tweets lambasting the bill, saying that it “should not pass.” Musk’s meddling threw Congressional Republicans into disarray, as their phone lines were reportedly “ringing off the hook” with calls from Musk supporters protesting the bill. Donald Trump and his VP JD Vance added to the dogpile, with Trump issuing a threat to GOP legislators that any of them “stupid” enough to support the bill would be ousted from office.
“You know, the people who sit at the very center with Trump have a shelf life, and that shelf life is influenced by outside events, as Speaker Johnson is finding out right now,” said Christie, speaking about House Speaker Mike Johnson stymied by Trump in his efforts to pass the bipartisan spending bill. According to Christie, the pushback is a harbinger of Johnson’s political end – and that while Musk is enjoying the limelight now, the billionaire is likely to follow Johnson in his fall from grace.
Given the current state of the internet, that fall is likely to come soon. Following Musk’s bill-killing tirade, social media platforms were abuzz with “President Musk” memes, depicting Trump as Musk’s butler, court jester, and lover. Legislators on both sides of the isle have leant credence to the claim of Musk’s rising political influence. Democrat Pramilla Jayapal referred to Musk as “Shadow President,” saying that despite Trump’s status as President-elect, it’s “clear who’s in charge.”
Meanwhile, Republican congressman Tony Gonzales referred to Musk as America’s “prime minister,” glancing over the fact that the billionaire is not an elected official. Despite never having won an election, the newfound power is evidently going to Musk’s head. According to insiders at Mar a Lago, where Musk frequently visits Trump, the billionaire has been acting like a “co-president” and “taking lots of credit” for Trump’s victory.
According to Christie, Musk’s braggadocio is being fueled by what he experienced on the campaign trail with Trump. Christie says that Musk “doesn’t stand in front of 20,000 people and have them chant his name,” but that changed when Musk accompanied Trump to rallies as part of his inner circle. “Sometimes it’s hard for folks to understand how intoxicating this can be for some people,” said Christie. When “you initially begin in that role” in the inner circle “you have enormous influence” Christie continues. But “it will always decline,” went on. “And you’ll see it. It will happen with Elon Musk, too.”
If Musk keeps carrying on the way he does, that day will likely come sooner than he thinks.
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