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Trump / Musk (other than DOGE)

  • Thread starter Thread starter nycfan
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Bannon using the populist anti-billionaire tack here is mostly on brand for him, but note also that Bannon is promoting his personal brand of xenophobia as “anti-racist” in his attack on Musk, Thiel and others.

I guess he sees an opportunity to undermine Musk’s influence over the easily manipulated Trump.

Someone sounds like a jilted lover.

Steve Bannon explodes on 'evil racist' Elon Musk and pledges to 'take him down' before Trump's Inauguration Day​


 


Bannon using the populist anti-billionaire tack here is mostly on brand for him, but note also that Bannon is promoting his personal brand of xenophobia as “anti-racist” in his attack on Musk, Thiel and others.

I guess he sees an opportunity to undermine Musk’s influence over the easily manipulated Trump.

Tonight Show Oh Snap GIF by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
i agree episode 2 GIF by Star Wars
 
take him down? lmmfao
I agree with you — Bannon is the grossly outmaneuvered little fish with far less leverage here. His bravado about taking Musk down is horse shit.

But his only weapon is trying to drive a wedge between MAGA Trump supporters who also follow Bannon and Musk. As keeps being demonstrated, Musk has his own constituency of cultists who are more loyal to his vision(s) than to Trump, but Musk also has Trump’s ear full-on Wormtongue style and with his financial position has Trump by the short ones when Trump tires of the attention Musk gets at what Trump will view as at Trump’s expense.

The POTUS is still the POTUS, though, and loyalty only flows one way with Trump, so one day Musk might discover the important difference between even extreme wealth and presidential power. But we are far from that coming to a head, if indeed it ever does.

Trump is busy basking in his victory (everyone wants to be by friend and MAL is the center of the universe are two actual posts on Truth Social by him), as well as relishing potential vengeance on his many real and imagined enemies. But he must also be noticing the way Musk is building his own coalition in Congress and among X fanboys, and assuming roles no one has assigned him in transition and foreign policy matters.

But if Trump eventually decides to slap down or jettison Musk, it won’t be because of Steve Bannon. He might use Bannon as a spigot of anti-Musk propaganda if it suits the situation but he won’t really need him.
 
I agree with you — Bannon is the grossly outmaneuvered little fish with far less leverage here. His bravado about taking Musk down is horse shit.

But his only weapon is trying to drive a wedge between MAGA Trump supporters who also follow Bannon and Musk. As keeps being demonstrated, Musk has his own constituency of cultists who are more loyal to his vision(s) than to Trump, but Musk also has Trump’s ear full-on Wormtongue style and with his financial position has Trump by the short ones when Trump tires of the attention Musk gets at what Trump will view as at Trump’s expense.

The POTUS is still the POTUS, though, and loyalty only flows one way with Trump, so one day Musk might discover the important difference between even extreme wealth and presidential power. But we are far from that coming to a head, if indeed it ever does.

Trump is busy basking in his victory (everyone wants to be by friend and MAL is the center of the universe are two actual posts on Truth Social by him), as well as relishing potential vengeance on his many real and imagined enemies. But he must also be noticing the way Musk is building his own coalition in Congress and among X fanboys, and assuming roles no one has assigned him in transition and foreign policy matters.

But if Trump eventually decides to slap down or jettison Musk, it won’t be because of Steve Bannon. He might use Bannon as a spigot of anti-Musk propaganda if it suits the situation but he won’t really need him.
Good analysis. This is one of the many reasons I think Musk will end up being a major problem for Trump. There are a whole lot of MAGAs like Bannon who have been with Trump since the beginning, and they won't bend easily to Musk's ascendance. But Musk's money and platform gives him enormously more power than the Bannons will have going forward. I don't see how it can all be reconciled, and I don't think Trump has any interest in being the mediator.
 
Greenland is actually very strategic, despite Thule and Alaska. It gives us more access to the Arctic, which will become essential as we further destroy our planet in the decades ahead.

FWIW, that's not what I said. Of course Greenland is strategic.

I said that there is little strategic benefit in having Greenland in official US hands rather than in the hands of a staunch NATO ally. I doubt it's a net positive when a transfer would (a) weaken the alliance (e.g. if we invade a NATO ally, do we declare war on ourselves?) and (b) provide succor for any bad actor in the world who wants to redraw national boundaries.
 
Trump's cabinet picks continue to focus with laser-like intensity on the pocketbook issues that the economically-anxious Americans are concerned about.


So you think we wasted $40 million to change the names of military bases to appeal to the woke crowd? Here's what we'll do. We'll spend ANOTHER $40 million to change them right back!!! That'll show those financially irresponsible communists who's in charge now!
 
its jus a matter of time before the trump musk mutual handjobs ends.....its inevitable. the only people around trump who havent turned on him are the pathetic political bootlickers like lady lindsey graham, cruz, etc.
 

Ah, more GOP logic. ChatGPT analogized Marshall's statement here to "“Well, you can control how clean your floors are, so why bother installing fire alarms?"

Hey, Senator, ChatGPT is pretty amazing, but if it's smarter than you, take a hint buddy.
 

Incoming Trump Team Is Questioning National Security Council Staff Over Loyalty​

Nonpolitical career civil servants are reportedly being grilled over who they voted for, their political contributions and more.

"... At least some of these nonpolitical employees have begun packing up their belongings since being asked about their loyalty to Trump — after they had earlier been given indications that they would be asked to stay on at the NSC in the new administration, the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive personnel matters.

... Trump’s pick for national security adviser, Florida Rep. Mike Waltz, in recent days publicly signaled his intention to get rid of all nonpolitical appointees and career intelligence officials serving on the NSC by Inauguration Day to ensure the council is staffed with those who support Trump’s agenda.
A wholesale removal of foreign policy and national security experts from the NSC on Day 1 of the new administration could deprive Trump’s team of considerable expertise and institutional knowledge at a time when the U.S. is grappling with difficult policy challenges in Ukraine, the Mideast and beyond. Such questioning could also make new policy experts brought in to the NSC less likely to speak up about policy differences and concerns.

...The NSC staff members being questioned about their loyalty are largely subject matter experts who have been loaned to the White House by federal agencies — the State Department, FBI and CIA, for example — for temporary duty that typically lasts one to two years. If removed from the NSC, they would be returned to their home agencies.

Vetting of the civil servants began in the last week, the official said. Some of them have been questioned about their politics by Trump appointees who will serve as directors on the NSC and who had weeks earlier asked them to stick around. There are dozens of civil servants at the directorate level at the NSC who had anticipated remaining at the White House in the new administration.

A second U.S. official told the AP that he was informed weeks ago by incoming Trump administration officials that they planned on raising questions with career appointees that work at the White House, including those at the NSC, about their political leanings. The official, who was not authorized to comment publicly, however, had not yet been formally vetted. ..."

 


Interesting politics here b/c Republicans have generally pushed to cover Venezuelans -- leaving that for Trump to have to do, I guess, if the GOP wants to do.

As a purely political matter (not a matter of what is or is not right on the merits), I'm not really sure why the Biden Administration is now worried about the appearance of political motivation to hinder the incoming Administration, TBH. It's not like Biden will be running again ...
 
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