The #1 Reason Elon Musk Kisses Donald Trump’s Ass
The world’s richest man is buttering up the world’s most powerful man
Seems Elon Musk bought Twitter for $44B with the goal of becoming the world’s biggest and loudest troll. By any stretch of the imagination he’s succeeded, while everyone except his dudebro minions wonders why the real life Tony Stark is so eager to sully his reputation and compromise his other legit businesses for the sake of hurling #BidenCrimeFamily memes.
The answer seems simple: his gargantuan following is global, and his relentless, shameless, over-the-top lies, bombast, and vitriol convey to the planet’s population and power elites that Musk is The Man — that when he tweets people listen, and when people listen they believe that he calls the shots. Tweeting bullshit to power, Elon is the power — so there, booyah.
As I’ve pointed out, Musk is a classic enfant terrible and idiot savant of the techno-plutocrats, half genius, half bullshit artist, an industry mover and shaker who has revolutionized three of the toughest verticals to conquer: eCommerce, automobiles, and space. He’s also a fetishized brat who loves to own the libs and everyone else, then get spanked for being naughty.
Another naughty boy with a similar brand identity is, of course, Donald Trump. Far as the unwashed masses go, they’re both brilliant billionaire businessmen, but the true differences are what’s revealing, especially since Donald is totally full of shit, and Elon has actually changed the world several times over. So what’s the allure? Why the bizarre bromance?
On Sam Harris’ most recent podcast, Mark Cuban argues that Trump is a lousy leader because (6:00–6:18) “he’s unethical, he’s not bright, he can be easily bought, he’s very transactional, he doesn’t understand his own policies, and he makes no effort to learn.” Here I argue that these exact characteristics are the same reasons why Musk instead loves Trump.
Everyone advising President Trump has acknowledged that he’s impressionable. Running the government like his business, and his business like a local mobster HQ, Trump is on the phone at all hours, getting all his advice and information only from his inner circle, making his next big decision on the fly, and based on whomever he talked to last.
Trump is also the consummate showman, most comfortable when at the center of attention — the more attention, the bigger the crowds, the better. That makes him almost pathologically extraverted, basing his values and his sense of self-worth on how other people view him. Seeking positive reinforcement from those around him, those around him are empowered.
Trump’s mercurial nature and proven impressionability make him the perfect sucker for an insatiably power hungry motherfucker like Musk. Like Iago, Jay Gatsby, or Tom Ripley who hustle their marks, Elon has hitched his ride to the Trump Train because he knows that once in the Oval Office, he’ll have a choice opportunity to mold and manipulate the master.
Unethical, dim-witted, corrupt, transactional, and ignorant are the bad leadership traits Musk favors in a President he can convince to do his bidding. The perfect complement to Donald the Entertainer is Elon the Doer, an introverted, awkward, autism spectrum disordered maverick. Trump is the useful idiot for the idiot savant to gain even more control.
Tomorrow is the election, and Elon will find out if going all-in on Donald cleans the table, or sends the high roller back to the ATM. Jeff Bezos played it safer, losing thousands of subscribers by not endorsing either candidate, but at least ensuring a level playing field. Musk figures he’s too big to fall or fail, Mars or bust, bitches — but my guess is the brat will likely get spanked.
Post-election postscript: Looks like Elon’s bet for going all-in has paid off in droves. He’s already been on calls with Trump and Zelenskyy, Musk’s central role in the new Trump administration assured. All I asserted above is true, IMHO, except for the spanking — looks like the rest of us are going to get it, Elon golden child turned platinum, Tesla shares skyrocketing, brave new world indeed…
Here’re a few more posts that in retrospect were wrong in their predictions, yet still descriptive of the forces that continue to drive American politics:
