Billionaire Elon Musk has emerged as a key cultural force in recent years, particularly since owning X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter, which has risen in popularity in sports media.
He has since entered politics as a member of Donald Trump’s cabinet, but it looks that Trump is becoming increasingly frustrated with Musk.
During the election, Musk was a vociferous backer of Donald Trump, spending time with the president-elect and appearing to wield significant power.
This week, however, Trump sent a strong message that may serve as a reminder to Musk of who has ultimate control.
When the government funding bill collapsed on Wednesday after Musk openly blasted it as unnecessary spending, many across the political spectrum saw it as proof that Musk—not Trump—held actual authority.
“Yesterday was DOGE in action and it was the most refreshing thing I’ve seen since I’ve been here for 4 years,” Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia posted on X.
Democratic Rep. Brendan Boyle of Pennsylvania wrote, “Elon Musk is the Republican Party’s leader.” “He’s now calling the shots.”
However, Trump appears to be unhappy with this perception.
Karoline Leavitt, spokesman for the Trump-Vance transition, firmly denied that Musk was in charge.
“As soon as President Trump released his official stance on the CR, Republicans on Capitol Hill echoed his point of view,” Leavitt said in a statement. “The Republican Party is led by President Donald Trump. “Enough said.”
This statement definitely serves as a caution to Musk not to push the boundaries too far, and it elicited a lot of reactions on social media.
“Haha, a Trump spokesman really admitted it. So that is bothering him,” one user remarked on Reddit.
“People must keep up with the ‘President Musk’ hype. It sounds like a childish idea, but we’re talking about a narcissist who was most offended during the debates by the allegation that his rallies are dull.
He can’t take being slighted. Also, Musk has not disputed the charges. He also has a large ego, and he enjoys the spotlight. They will eventually clash. “We might as well speed up the process,” someone else suggested.
“It’s like being on the Titanic and watching your two least favorite people fight as the ship sinks.” “We’re all going to die, but at least we’ll have some satisfaction on the way down,” another individual added.
“I learned in the Army that if you have to remind people that you’re in charge, you ain’t in charge,” joked someone else.
“The breakup memes will be glorious,” another user said.
“I have said it before, and I will say it again. Dems can undoubtedly exploit Trump in their favor by appealing to his narcissism and ego,” another person commented.
We’ll have to wait and see if Musk takes Trump’s warning seriously or if he continues to try to exert influence.
