Analysis: Musk shows why he is such a strong ally of Trump and would be an even more threatening enemy

Cnn
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Elon Musk’s oval office address showed why he is a threatening enemy for the federal government and why President Donald Trump plays with fire by giving him so much power.

A portrait of George Washington looked from the wall as his distant president’s successor put a show with his billionaire on Tuesday afternoon. Musk, in a black maga hat, long dark coat and with his son X, sometimes lying on his shoulders, was framed by a decorated window when snow flowed outside.

The couple made their strongest defense yet over Musk’s operation to clean the federal government, which is the imperiling of basic services and medical research and desecrates the world’s largest foreign aid mission that has saved millions.

Musk’s claims to use abuse and junk programs were probably well received by the millions of Americans watching the Washington Sump with deep suspicion and welcoming Trump’s attack on the government as he is leading.

But the show was about more than an indication to dampen the growing political foundation over the Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.

It was an unmistakable statement that true power in Washington is not with Congress or the courts, but somewhere in the rich mixture of egos between the world’s most powerful man and the world’s richest person.

The view was also an obvious demonstration of the unity between Trump and Musk, in the midst of constant speculation about the president’s tolerance for an artist competing with his love for the limelight.

And no one was going to miss this: Trump was indispensable behind the Resolute Desk when Musk was standing right – in a reprimand of a time magazine cover showing the Tesla chief of the seat where the buck stops.

Still, there was just a feeling a few times that Trump was distracted by XS Fidgeting. And the glibness and sense of impunity that exudes musk – which is neither chosen nor confirmed by Congress and perhaps the Constitution – was striking as he dominated a space sacred to American democracy.

There has rarely been a more vibrant demonstration of great wealth that brings great power. Musk was a lot of respect for Trump and they seem to enjoy each other’s company. But with his wealth and pyrotechnic platform on his X network, he will take careful handling of the president.

The common appearance came as a setback grows to the flash of the bureaucracy led by Trump and his Doge boys. The Whiz Children, who were sent to Federal Departments, have already shot down several agencies, including USAID and the consumer’s financial protection agency and are now seeing greater prey.

The effort is mirrored in several litigation. And some comments from the top officials, including Vice President JD Vance, have provoked fears that the White House may trigger a constitutional crisis if it ignores judges of judges to relinquish.

Musk made a passionate case that his initiative is validated by massive waste. He implicitly justified his efforts to access Treasury Payment Systems by claiming he had found an irregular to destroy it. (This from a billionaire accused of some of America’s European allies of disturbing their choices and politics).

Trump also had a ready -made line to deliver. When asked if he would accept decisions from judges he complained, his shock-and-Awe start has slowed down on his second period, the president said, “I always comply with the courts.” His comment may temporarily cool fear of a constitutional imbroglio. But this is a man who ignored court orders to tame his rhetoric under his criminal money attempt.

Musk is a compelling speaker and clearly enjoyed a chance to perform and persuade.

The leader of Trump’s new department of government efficiency was careful to show the president – and noted that he is calling to make sure he is doing what Trump wants. Still suggesting the late afternoon’s common media look The White House thought it was necessary for Washington they are scattered throughout the states.

Musk’s explanations could also have been intended to remove the impression that he is taking a sole for federal operations in secret without meaningful supervision and that he is plagued by catastrophic conflicts of interest. His willingness to stand and take questions from journalists was his first such openness.

“I don’t think there has been, I don’t know … a case (of) an organization (that) has been more transparent than the DODE organization,” Musk insisted.

Trump and Musk do what many Americans want

Musk’s presentation helps to explain why Trump’s fully over -assault on the federal government is a political winner, despite the revolt that it is caused.

Americans voted for change last November. They were angry with a bureaucracy that many felt they were ignoring their needs when the Presidency of Joe Bid’s presidency lapsed in inertia in the last months. Trump’s base wants exactly the kind of shaking that he has initiated. The government has been unpopular among ideological conservatives for decades, and the idea of ​​great spending – at least in theory – is a popular question. Federal government bureaucrats also make perfect victims as Maga supporters see them as elites with lifetime jobs and fat guaranteed pensions that have skewed the political system. In this worldview, Democrats and media members are seen highlighting Trump’s and Musk’s trapping trap as citizens of the same swamp defending the hated government.

“The people voted for greater government reform, and that’s what the people will get,” Musk said. “That’s what democracy is all about.”

Musk’s success so far is the fruit of his decision to choose the easiest goals – such as USAID and CFPB. Foreign aid is rarely popular with voters, especially in an era where an “America First” president runs the White House. And the consumer agency has been in the sights of Republican lawmakers for years.

But the next goals could be more politically painful for Trump and his base. He has suggested that the education department is high on the list – and he could draw a farm that was dreamed of several GOP presidents with a closure. But any disruption of student loans or important educational programs in the states could anger voters in addition to those who are upset over the crop of USAD.

Trump called on Tuesday for the settlement of the federal emergency administration agency, which he has been softening for months with his bloated claims that it failed North Carolinians after a hurricane hit last year. A new system for sending disaster relief directly to states seems like a big money -saving idea that could cut through bureaucracy. But the loss of FEMA’s institutional knowledge and infrastructure could rebound politically towards the White House if the answer to a future natural disaster fails.

Musk asks some seeking questions to the federal government and will inevitably find waste in such a large organization – although many of his claims are not backed up by full weight of evidence to allow voters to judge for themselves.

But new cuts to the operating costs of medical research institutions financed through the National Institutes of Health, which looks good on paper, could sabotage a connection between the federal government and US universities that has made the United States the global power center for clinical breakthroughs. And red states as well as blue could lose financially, as state universities are important economic engines and employers. A nuanced weekend statement of Alabama -sen. Katie Britt, where she called for a “targeted” approach to save taxpayers’ money spent by NIH, suggested the dilemma that could soon face GOP legislators.

The potential for musk to become a source of scandal rather than its scourge also overshadowed the common media look.

He claimed that when the billions of dollars in contracts that his businesses enjoy in federal conflicts were public, anyone could see if he was in favor. It is hardly reassuring from a tech mogul that now oversees agencies that oversee his businesses.

Trump’s promise that “we would not let him” take advantage of his attitude, was devalued by his unwillingness to tackle his own mammoth conflicts and the announcement of the White House on Tuesday that Musk would only submit a confidential disclosure form, as an unpaid Specialist.

“Transparency is what builds trust,” Musk said of Doges campaign on social media, apparently without noticing the irony of his personal situation.

Thus, an oval office show -designed to dampen concerns about the non -selected, Mercurial, tech visionary, who currently pulverized the US government from within -only strengthened the caricature.