Summary

Elon Musk, having endorsed and campaigned for Donald Trump, is now acting as a “shadow president,” advising on policies and personnel, and joining Trump on calls with world leaders.

This unprecedented relationship between the world’s richest man and the leader of the free world raises concerns about the influence of wealth on government.

While both Trump and Musk have incentives to continue their partnership, their volatile personalities and differing expertise may lead to a breakup in the future.

  • WhatAmLemmy@lemmy.worldEnglish
    3614·
    4 days ago

    This unprecedented relationship between the world’s richest man and the leader of the free world raises concerns about the influence of wealth on government.

    The only change is that Liberals are apparently becoming aware of the power dynamic that has always existed — that democracy cannot exist with massive wealthy inequality and money equal to speech. I’m also positive that if Trump/MAGA fails to implement fascism (this time around), Liberals will believe the current system works, and completely ignore the reality that their system was almost destroyed by a small number of wealthy sociopaths.

      • FlowVoid@lemmy.worldEnglish
        6·
        4 days ago

        For one thing, the Netherlands has nearly the lowest wealth inequality in the world, yet it is a democracy.

        • Viking_Hippie@lemmy.world
          10·
          4 days ago

          I think you misunderstood.

          democracy cannot exist with massive wealthy inequality and money equal to speech

          Is supposed to be the affirmative statement afaict.

          The Netherlands having low wealth inequality and not equating money with speech (or giving corporations all the rights of people but none of the responsibilities and restrictions) makes it much MORE democratic than it would otherwise be.

    • Bakkoda@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      16·
      4 days ago

      Yeah it’s a bullshit take. There’s always been a bunch of money up every presidents ass. It’s just public. Very very public now.

      • WhatAmLemmy@lemmy.worldEnglish
        202·
        4 days ago

        You’d think they’d get the memo after several decades of “corporations get most of what they want, without objection” while “the people can’t even get basic healthcare or a minimum wage comparable to poorer countries”, yet here we are… Fascism is knocking down the door, financed by the wealthiest capitalism can muster, and they still have their heads firmly planted in the dirt, blaming the left for not voting, without evidence … when the millions of people who didn’t vote may very well be just as oblivious as Trump voters, don’t know how the government works, don’t know the danger they’re in, and don’t pay enough attention to care 99% of the time.

      • Queen HawlSera@lemm.eeEnglish
        2·
        2 days ago

        Reminds me of when I was a kid, my mom always said she still supported Clinton because “All he did was what every other man in power did, he just got caught.”

  • ziggurat@lemmy.world
    381·
    4 days ago

    The US presidency is no longer considered the leader of the free world… Not since 2016

    • Krono@lemmy.today
      292·
      4 days ago

      2016?! My brother in christ, the corporate takeover of American government was finalized with Reagan back in the 80s.

      We may be entering a new phase of Fucking Around with fascism, but most of these modern problems are just us Finding Out how a corporatocracy functions.

      • ziggurat@lemmy.world
        13·
        4 days ago

        I have to age my self and say that I am a year younger than the end of the Regan precidency…

        But I can distinctly remember people in the 90s gushing over wanting to have green cards, and getting hand made dolls and dresses from America.

        And if I reflect on recent history, Nixon probably did more than Regan did to turn the helm of the ship strictly towards all the icebergs

        I really like your comment, but I think Trump did what the other bafoons couldn’t. Get normal people not interested in politics to understand this point. And thus both our comments have merit

        • AngryRobot@lemmy.world
          2·
          2 days ago

          Reagen deregulation our public airwaves and got rid of the rules about how many tv snd radio stations that a single entity could own. This directly led to media corps like Sinclair buying up most stations in many markets and forcing their ness to carry their propaganda.

          We need a new Fairness Doctrine for the digital age. That was specifically a guard abaoponst this shit, and Reagan did away with thst too. In fact, Reagan imple,ended 2/3 of the Heritage Foundation’s policy recommendations in Project 1981.

          • ziggurat@lemmy.world
            1·
            2 days ago

            Thanks, I hadn’t read up anything about Regan before, to me he was just the joke unbelievable actor turned president that made it harder for Doc Brown to believe Marth McFly had traveled back in time.

            (Note: I’m not American)

            Was project 81 similar to project 25? This heritage foundation sounds like a pedofile ring

            • AngryRobot@lemmy.world
              1·
              2 days ago

              The Heratige Foundation outs out a Projext XXXX every 4 years with policy proposals. They’ve been ratfucking us for 50 years to get their loyalists in place. All 6 partisan Supreme Court justices are Federalist Society. But getting rid of the Fairness Doctrine and removing the restrictions on TV and radio ownership was their idea so they can spew non-stop propaganda thays hard to get away from. I honestly believe it was a huge factor in this election.

              • ziggurat@lemmy.world
                2·
                2 days ago

                After having an eye on American news stations every election year since Obama…

                Right wing media: the left side is insane.

                Left wing media: both sides are equal

                I didn’t understand why, before I understood who earns money when you watch the news

                • AngryRobot@lemmy.world
                  1·
                  2 days ago

                  The problem is that there isn’t really a left-wing ,ecia. There are centrists like MSNBC or CNN, right-Wing like Fox News, and hard right like OAN or Newsmax.

  • Dry_Monk@lemmy.world
    19·
    4 days ago

    This unprecedented relationship between the world’s richest man and the leader of the free world raises concerns about the influence of wealth on government.

    Raises?! Where have y’all been?

    • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.worldEnglish
      121·
      2 days ago

      Why hide what is clearly quite popular?

      Corporate media has the public totally sold on oligopoly. Elon will run our country into the ground and the Talking Heads on his payroll will tell the whole country how hard they need to clap.

      And if you won’t, we all know the cops will.

  • uebquauntbez@lemmy.world
    41·
    2 days ago

    Nay, when Apartheid ended he saw no ground for his business(es) in South Africa. So he moved to America. More people there to work for nothing but his wealth and their ‘American Dream’!

    • frazorth@feddit.uk
      5·
      2 days ago

      What? Musk moved to Canada in 1989 when he was 18 to avoid national service.

      Apartheid didn’t end until a couple of year after that.

      He’s a massive bellend, and a huge leech on society with all of his government subsidised businesses, but thats not the same as making up reasons for his move.

        • frazorth@feddit.uk
          11·
          2 days ago

          What are you talking about?

          These are his businesses in South Africa that he closed when he was 18 and moved to Canada before Apartheid ended?

  • enbyecho@lemmy.worldEnglish
    34·
    4 days ago

    The constant talk of Musk’s power in the new administration must irritate the fuck out of Trump. How terrible.

      • Mirshe@lemmy.world
        131·
        2 days ago

        Because he admitted to illegally staying here to start his business after running out his student visa? And that he knew this was entirely illegal the entire time?

        • nutsack@lemmy.world
          1·
          2 days ago

          ok good? thanks? question mark? sounds like he got it sorted out at some point? and he didn’t get deported because donald trump wasn’t the president? i like to talk like this?

      • frazorth@feddit.uk
        6·
        2 days ago

        https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2024/10/27/elon-musk-immigration/

        “We don’t want our founder being deported,” said Derek Proudian, the Zip2 board member, who later became chief executive.

        Literally the people working with him were afraid of his lack of visa and worked to get him one.

        In a 2005 email obtained by The Post, Musk wrote that he had applied to a Stanford University graduate program, which he did not end up attending, so he could stay in the country.

        He claims that he had a J-1, but unfortunately

        “There are work options during studies, while engaged in a full course of study, and also after the completion of studies,” said Adam Cohen, author of “The Academic Immigration Handbook” and an attorney who specializes in employment visas. “But dropping out of school does not allow for work authorization. So there is a quite a gap there.”

        He spent his time trying to get loopholes to remain, and used them incorrectly. He was an illegal.

    • Queen HawlSera@lemm.eeEnglish
      6·
      2 days ago

      Every accusation, no matter how absurd is a confession. Now the White House is probably gonna smell like hummus, because that’s something they said would happen under Kamela (no seriously)