Musk is out.
Musk put himself in a corner where he can't rip into Trump and he has to play nice probably at least through the midterms, but just look at the guy's face and watch him refuse to give a straight answer here. He put a lot on the line with endorsing Trump and starting DOGE, and Trump absolutely stabbed him in the back. Trump's supporters will blame congress, but Trump has very openly and loudly endorsed all of the DOGE-defying moves that congress has made, and has viciously attacked the one congressman (Thomas Massie) who has stood against it.
The reason is simple: Trump cares about trophies. Cutting the budget is not a trophy. DOGE trying to take a chainsaw to government was a trophy, but as soon as DOGE became more of Musk's than Trump's trophy, Trump stopped caring about it because congress offered him a Big, Beautiful Bill as a trophy instead. Just like the FBI offered the opportunity to build a Big, Beautiful new headquarters building for them (Trump loves buildings!). Just like Isreal offered the redevelopment of Gaza as a trophy - miles and miles of Big, Beautiful Buildings. Just like Qatar offeredup a 747 jet. Not a building or a personal gift, but a trophy of "respect" that he can point to and say "See, these rich, powerful people think I'm so great that they gave me this!"
During his campaigns, Trump's supporters would talk endlessly about how he couldn't be bought off. What stupid horseshit. Trump is the easiest person in the world to buy off, as long as you realize that you just can't do it with money. You dangle a trophy in front of Trump and he can be led around like a puppy.
Don’t worry!
His “very smart people” are totally right about things this time when it comes to trade.
There is zero - I repeat, zero - moral difference between the people who pushed for "experimenting" with lockdowns because "we have to do something!" and the people who push for "experimenting" with trade wars because "we have to do something!"
Better start teaching your children Japanese.
Consider the woke garbage lessons taught to your kids on American children's television.
Now contrast this with what Japanese kids are being taught, as the girl in this video tells off a guy pushing the "medical care is a right!" narrative and she explains why he's wrong.
As comedy slowly slides into unfunny wokeness hell, the last comedian standing (assuming he doesn't drop dead first, I mean just look at the guy; he's a trainwreck) will be Doug Stanhope. He closed out his recent special "The Dying of the Last Breed" with this bit on how important it is that we be able to make fun of anything. Because making fun.
Language warning, duh.
MAGA has some of the strangest cognitive dissonance I've ever seen in observing politics.
On the one hand, they see Trump as a God-King, a supreme political being who men and nations tremble before, whose exercise of absolute authority is the singular entity that can save this great nation.
On the other, Trump is powerless to even ask congress to decrease spending. If he doesn’t cave to their every whim, if he doesn’t meekly bless every penny demanded, whether it be tax breaks for blue states or money for transition surgery for children (yes, it’s in the BBB), then there is no way to pass any sort of spending bill. It simply can’t be done. There’s nothing anyone, even the almighty Trump, can do about it. It is literally an unchangeable and inalienable fact of life, the immovable object against which all forces are stoppable.
As I have said before, Trump is no strongman. He's a bully. He punches down as far as he can, and then pridefully thumps his chest. He won't even take ...
