President-elect Donald Trump on Sunday rejected the concept that Elon Musk controls the Republican Party after Musk helped defeat a government spending bill last week, prompting Democrats and Trump critics to attack Trump referring to the world’s richest user as “President Musk. ” “
Trump appeared to take the complaint lightly in a speech at a convention hosted by the conservative organization Turning Point Action, saying “he’s not going to be president, that’s what I can tell you,” before claiming his presidency is “secure. “”Because Musk can’t be president because he was born in South Africa.
In a series of more than 100 posts on his X platform on Wednesday, just two days before the government shutdown, Musk ridiculed a 1,500-page spending bill passed by House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. , calling it too long and elaborate. outside. too expensive.
Later that day, Trump also spoke out against the legislation, preventing it from reaching the House for a vote; Lawmakers approved a proposal on Friday, hours before the government shutdown, which was later enacted.
The debacle sparked commentary about the unelected Musk’s alleged undue influence in the Republican Party, with Fox News’ Peter Doocy singling out Musk as “the center of the universe on Capitol Hill,” and Fox News’ Sean Hannity calling Musk “the new sheriff of the city. ” . ” while Democrats called Musk the de facto president.
Musk, who was the biggest donor in the 2024 election, has regularly appeared alongside Trump since the election, dining with high-profile figures at Mar-a-Lago and sitting ringside with the president-elect at a recent UFC event.
Trump’s team rejected the mockery in a statement that his spokesperson, Karoline Leavitt, released to several media outlets last week, insisting that “President Trump is the leader of the Republican Party. Period,” while Elon Musk also downplayed importance to the statements about the vice president. choose JD Vance.
We estimate Musk’s net worth at $430.9 billion, making him by far the wealthiest person in the world. He is more than $190 billion ahead of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who holds the No. 2 spot with an estimated net worth of $235.8 billion, for the title.
Musk and Trump have been strongly aligned since the end of Trump’s crusade and after the billionaire spent more than $250 million before the election to elect Trump. Trump also named Musk, along with Vivek Ramaswamy, to head a new Department of Government Effectiveness aimed at reducing government waste.
Musk spread multiple falsehoods about the spending bill in voicing his objections to the deal. He alleged the plan included a 40% pay raise for lawmakers, far higher than the 3.8% automatic increase it actually included. Musk also said the bill included funding for a new stadium for the Washington Commanders NFL team, an apparent reference to a provision to transfer the land of the RFK Stadium site from the federal government to the District of Columbia to pave the way for potential construction of a new stadium that would allow the team to move from its suburban Maryland location back to DC.
The law does not include the debt ceiling increase first demanded by Trump, but instead suspends the debt ceiling for two years and keeps the government operational until March 14.
Biden Symptoms of Investment Bill at Government Shutdown (Forbes)
Musk says congressional bill to avert government shutdown “should not pass” (Forbes)
Trump Says He’s Against Johnson’s Government Funding Bill—Tells Republicans To ‘Get Smart And Tough’ (Forbes)
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