Is Elon Musk Simply That Ignorant Politically?

The acute blowup between Elon Musk and Donald Trump is underway, simply as numerous folks predicted it will. It has maybe taken a bit longer than anticipated, and doubtless way more injury has been performed than many people anticipated, however the explosiveness of it’s dwelling as much as expectations.

Earlier than I get to some explanations and theories, in addition to the place we go from right here, right here are some things which have occurred within the final a number of hours:

• Elon Musk says that the Trump administration hasn’t launched the “Epstein information” as a result of Donald J. Trump is in them. “Time to drop the actually massive bomb: @realDonaldTrump is within the Epstein information. That’s the actual cause they haven’t been made public. Have a pleasant day, DJT!” He added: “Mark this submit for the longer term. The reality will come out.”
  • Duh! Epstein was certainly one of Trump’s greatest associates and there are dozens of issues tying him to Epstein and all the horrible sexual abuse and trafficking that got here to mild. The truth that Musk did know that and was nonetheless buddy-buddy with Trump is sufficient anybody actually must know.
    
• Trump mentioned that the US authorities ought to cancel all of Musk’s authorities contracts, and Musk has had a kneejerk response that’s both concession or taunting Trump (the latter is extra possible than the previous). Billionaire Trump posted the next on his social media app, Fact Social: “The best approach to save cash in our finances, billions and billions of {dollars}, is to terminate Elon’s governmental subsidies and contracts. I used to be at all times stunned that Biden didn’t do it!” Billionaire Musk responded on his personal social media app, X: “In mild of the President’s assertion about cancellation of my authorities contracts, @SpaceX will start decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft instantly.” It nearly seems like two massive, spolied infants having a combat and gathering their toys.
• Trump has additionally made some suspicious claims about EV insurance policies. “Elon was ‘sporting skinny,’ I requested him to depart, I took away his EV Mandate that pressured everybody to purchase Electrical Vehicles that no person else needed (that he knew for months I used to be going to do!), and he simply went CRAZY!”
  • I take into account this suspicious as a result of Elon Musk repeatedly mentioned on the marketing campaign path that he supported eradicating EV subsidies. (Why he would help that could be a entire different matter, and one I’ll get to after this bullet checklist, however for now, simply word that he repeatedly supported this.) Musk has additionally beforehand mentioned Tesla can be higher off with out the California gasoline financial system requirements that result in Tesla making billions of {dollars} promoting regulatory credit to laggard legacy automakers. (This one has made even much less sense than the patron EV subsidies one, however it’s the case that Musk has beforehand supported eradicating the regulatory credit score system.)
• Republican politicians in Congress have gotten completely confused, like chickens misplaced within the jungle (however extra idiotic), and don’t know which cult chief to comply with — Trump or Musk. Musk’s response to a tweet on this was: “Oh and a few meals for thought as they ponder this query: Trump has 3.5 years left as President, however I can be round for 40+ years…”
  • Hmm, yeah … keep in mind what occurred final time Trump was supposed to depart the White Home? You might be certain he’s doing much more this time round to profit from a profitable coup.
• Musk has additionally tweeted that “With out me, Trump would have misplaced the election, Dems would management the Home and the Republicans can be 51-49 within the Senate.” And he added, “Such ingratitude.”
• All of this appears to have stemmed from Musk’s robust opposition to the Republican finances invoice going via Congress. Trump has given the invoice the simplistic identify “Massive Lovely Invoice,” whereas Musk has known as it the “Massive Ugly Invoice” and a “disgusting abomination.”

Assuming this did all begin with fights over the finances invoice, right here’s a abstract from The Guardian on highlights/lowlights of the invoice:

“Whereas Elon Musk and Donald Trump publicly buying and selling barbs, a reminder that this began with a disagreement over Trump’s finances invoice. Right here’s a fast round-up of a number of the key details on that invoice:

• • It could blow a $2.4tn gap to America’s nationwide debt over the subsequent decade, in line with a congressional finances workplace evaluation

  • Prolong tax cuts enacted throughout Trump’s first time period

  • Cash for mass deportations and a border wall

  • An array of recent tax write-offs – however solely whereas Trump is president

  • A doubtlessly potent restriction on federal courts

  • Reworked social security web applications

  • Extra advantages for the wealthy than the poor

  • The tip of Biden’s inexperienced vitality incentives.”

In different phrases, sure, it’s a disgusting abomination. And that’s the place I’ll get again to the title of this text.

There are completely different theories on what’s happening right here. And a few have identified that Musk could also be a bit sore as nicely from DOGE failing, getting kicked out of the White Home/DOGE, Tesla gross sales tanking, Musk’s most well-liked NASA administrator not getting picked for the job, and maybe different issues. That each one could also be a part of it, however I do assume there’s an easier clarification that will clarify extra of it.

That clarification is that Musk is simply actually ignorant politically. There have been many indicators of this as he’s unfold silly far-right-wing speaking factors which can be incorrect. He was really recognized, together with by Grok, as one of many largest spreaders of election misinformation within the final election — and even the largest. Many say he’s mendacity when he says issues which can be incorrect. I’ve come to assume that he’s sometimes simply ignorant and says or spreads issues that assist him however that he doesn’t understand are silly and mistaken.

In relation to this enormous finances invoice, listed below are a number of key factors that come to thoughts for me:

• He has puffed up, seemingly earnestly, the concept solely easy, brief payments must be handed by Congress — no extra big payments that no particular person can really evaluate and that stuff all types of various issues into legislation. From following him for over a decade, my impression when seeing him discuss or tweet about that is that he actually thought it was a change that might come about on Capitol Hill.
• That’s utterly ignorant and reveals Musk doesn’t have an ample understanding of US authorities or US historical past. That was by no means going to occur. Congress was by no means going to cease passing gigantic payments filled with an infinite number of subjects. It’s downright silly to assume that was going to alter. However, I believe that’s just about what it’s with Musk — he had some type of idealistic opinion that this might change. I keep in mind seeing him touch upon it and considering, “He can’t be this ignorant politically, can he?” Nicely, all indication is that that is the basis of his massive stunning (or disgusting) breakup with Donald Trump.
• It’s additionally doable that it’s lastly dawning on Musk that, regardless of all his hype and supposed success at DOGE, Trump and staff are going to completely blow up the federal deficit (as Republicans at all times do). Maybe it’s simply hitting him that regardless of his campaign to “save” America, US funds are solely going to worsen. Once more, although, that is simply indication of maximum political ignorance. How might anybody who is aware of something about US politics assume Trump and staff have been going to shrink the deficit, not explode it? Sadly, I believe that will really be the scenario with Musk.

Is there extra to say? Certainly, there may be. Nevertheless, I’l go away it there for now. I believe captures the core of all of it. Sadly, it once more has a number of implications for Tesla, and none of them are good. I’ll come again to these quickly, however the basic one which needs to be mentioned is that: the corporate is admittedly not being run by a genius in all issues. In reality, it’s being run by somebody who is usually extraordinarily ignorant in stuff he arrogantly assumes he is aware of lots about.