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Welcome to The Logoff: Is the Trump-Musk partnership over? It’s difficult — however after at this time, it’s trying extra like sure.
What simply occurred? President Donald Trump has pinned his legislative hopes on one “huge, lovely invoice,” which handed the Home final month. At the moment, Elon Musk took goal on the invoice as “large, outrageous, pork-filled…a disgusting abomination” that might “massively enhance” the funds deficit.
Does it matter what Musk thinks? Perhaps not as a lot because it as soon as did. This can be a transitional second for Musk, who’s on his manner out after the official finish of his time as a authorities worker final week. Trump, in a farewell press convention, downplayed the departure, saying, “Elon’s actually not leaving. He’s going to be backwards and forwards.”
In non-public, Trump has reportedly expressed some skepticism about Musk, asking whether or not efforts by the Division of Authorities Effectivity had been “all bullshit.” Regardless of that, reporting has thus far prompt that the Trump-Musk relationship stays usually amicable — however Musk’s new broadside towards Trump’s invoice could also be an indication of issues fraying.
What did Musk truly accomplish? In some methods, comparatively little — as my colleague Andrew Prokop has reported, Musk and DOGE didn’t get wherever near cuts on the promised scale. On the identical time, nevertheless, Musk had completed a horrifying quantity of harm — his decimation of US overseas assist alone could have already got induced lots of of hundreds of deaths, by some estimates, and can proceed to trigger much more.
What is going to Musk do now? Allegedly, return to specializing in his lengthy listing of corporations, Tesla and SpaceX chief amongst them, and spend much less time on politics. Musk additionally stated in Might that he would do “loads much less” political spending going ahead. On the very least, his feedback Tuesday recommend he’s not all the way in which completed with politics, although it stays to be seen how influential he may be.
And with that, it’s time to sign off…
We’re returning to a Logoff traditional at this time, with my colleague Patrick Reis’s favourite livestream from a bald eagle’s nest. The nest, residence to bald eagles Jackie and Shadow, is positioned in Large Bear Valley, California. I hope it’s a peaceable second on your night, and we’ll see you again right here tomorrow.
