Date: 2025-08-24 Page is: DBtxt003.php txt00027914
POWER COUPLE
GREED ON STEROIDS
TheHill: The Trump-Musk bromance is breaking up and could break America
It was a marriage made in heaven — until it wasn’t.
GREED ON STEROIDS
TheHill: The Trump-Musk bromance is breaking up and could break America
It was a marriage made in heaven — until it wasn’t.
Happier times!
Original article: https://thehill.com/opinion/5107082-trump-musk-marriage-over/
Peter Burgess COMMENTARY
Why am I not surprised?
It is rare for ultra-powerful people to do much sharing ... they will fight it out so that just one becomes the 'top dog' and get most of the advantage.
Donald Trump and Elon Musk are two hyper competitive alpha males, and the idea of them cooperating the mutual benefit has never been a reasonable expectation. News of the 'break-up' has come sooner than I expected, but not by much.
This is not good news for America as a nation.
Though the United States is an economically large country, its GDP is about 25% of the global GDP with maybe 2% GDP growth per annuam but declining. In contrast, China had GDP a litle bit larger, but growing now at about 5% per annum and exoanding.
I have objected to the use of simplistic economic computations based on GDP growth as a foundation of economic analysis since I was a student at Cambridge at the end of the 1950s. I have always tried to deliver economic progress in combination with social progress and environmental stability ... not to mention addressing the curse of inequality which has been growing virulently during the last 40+ years since the time of President Reagan.
I am disgusted that 'economic growth' is all that gets talked about in the media while the talkers and writers clearly have no understanding of what they are presenting!
And someone please ... explain to me why almost everyone in the United States seems to be angry at the economy, and yet the stock market metrics in New York are reporting record highs! The media studiously avoids talking about any links that there might be between high prices at the supermarket and high prices in the financial market. I think the media ia assuming that the consumers of news are dumb morons.
Maybe those of us who are consumers of 'news' should do something more than just 'grumble'. But what to do? Maybe a start is going to be to think through and present in more detail the real world scenario that is emerging. For example, what happens when Musk decides that being 'friendly' to the USA makes no sense for him any more and he decides to collaborate mainly with China and not the USA? What happens when Space-X becomes a Chinese asset rather than being a US asset? Remember that Musk was born in South Africa and his allegience to the USA is one of convenience and opportunity more than anything else.
And Trump has little or no power over Musk ... and certainly no 'moral authority'!
This could be the downfall of Trump ... but it would also do huge damage to the security of the USA!
Peter Burgess
It was a marriage made in heaven — until it wasn’t.
by John Mac Ghlionn, Opinion Contributor
01/27/25 1:30 PM ET
President Trump and Elon Musk, two titans of ego, united for the cameras and the “greater good.” But like all fairy tales, this one didn’t last. The honeymoon is now officially over.
Barely had Trump announced his artificial intelligence infrastructure project, Stargate, when Musk, his so-called “First Buddy,” slipped into the role of disgruntled spouse.
The White House rollout, featuring SoftBank, OpenAI and Oracle, promised a half-trillion-dollar leap into AI supremacy. “They don’t actually have the money,” Musk sniped on X, his personal soapbox. “SoftBank has well under $10B secured. I have that on good authority.”
Musk’s rapid turn from ally to adversary sends a clear signal: Trump needs to cut ties — before the bromance drags him, and possibly the nation, under.
What might have initially seemed like a strategic alignment — a billionaire tech mogul and a bombastic political leader coming together to shape America’s future — was, in reality, a ticking time bomb.
Musk and Trump are not Batman and Robin. They are two Batmans, each with their own unyielding desire to dominate the spotlight, the narrative and the accolades. The combustible mix of their egos, coupled with their insatiable need for public adoration, is destined to end in a fiery implosion.
Musk’s recent public mockery of Trump’s AI initiative is not just a minor jab — it’s a declaration of independence. For Trump, who demands absolute loyalty and reverence, this is tantamount to betrayal. But Musk has never been one to play second fiddle, and Trump has never been one to share the stage. Their alliance was never rooted in mutual respect. Rather, it was a transaction of convenience, driven by mutual utility.
Musk had the money, the influence, and the tech-world clout to help amplify Trump’s reelection campaign, casting himself as a visionary willing to bet on a populist wildcard. Trump, in turn, held the ultimate prize: the keys to the kingdom.
For Musk, those keys unlocked an unprecedented opportunity for federal largesse — contracts worth billions, aimed squarely at propelling his enterprises to new heights. SpaceX could solidify its dominance in the race for the stars with long-term NASA and Department of Defense funding. Tesla could secure its place as the backbone of the nation’s energy infrastructure, with federal dollars subsidizing sprawling projects tied to renewable energy grids. The newly announced AI infrastructure project, Stargate, represented yet another goldmine, with Musk poised to position himself as the architect of America’s technological future.
For Trump, Musk’s support was a strategic coup. Musk’s backing brought an air of Silicon Valley sophistication to Trump’s administration, creating a rare bridge between populism and the tech elite. It was lust, not love — a high-stakes quid pro quo driven by ambition, not allegiance.
Moreover, and this is a critical point, Trump’s brand of traditionalism stands in direct opposition to Musk’s vision of a tech-driven future. Musk fancies himself a modern-day Prometheus, delivering the fire of innovation to humanity: electric vehicles to revolutionize transportation, plans to colonize Mars as a backup for civilization and AI advancements to reshape industries. His worldview is one of relentless progress, a future unshackled from the constraints of the past.
Trump, by contrast, embodies a different archetype of power. His appeal is rooted in populism, nostalgia, and a promise to restore America to a bygone era of strength and simplicity — a time when industry roared, borders were fortified and traditional values defined the nation’s character. Trump wants to make Detroit great again. Musk wants to turn it into a launchpad for Mars.
These conflicting ideologies were always destined to clash. Musk’s techno-utopianism leaves little room for Trump’s vision of a grounded, tradition-oriented resurgence.
This will not end well.
When billionaires feud, the repercussions rarely stay confined to their personal disputes. Both Musk and Trump command vast influence, shaping entire industries, political ideologies and cultural movements. A public falling out between these two powerhouses risks exacerbating existing societal divides, potentially stalling progress in crucial areas of innovation and policy.
We’ve already had a preview of this clash during the H-1B visa controversy, where Musk’s call for expanded tech talent collided head-on with MAGA’s staunch protectionism.
Now, I ask you to imagine this tension writ large.
Musk’s legion of tech-savvy futurists, who hail him as a modern-day Tony Stark, pitted against Trump’s loyal traditionalists, who view him as the guardian of American values. Such a schism would not only deepen ideological fractures but also risk turning cultural and policy debates into entrenched battlegrounds, paralyzing collaboration.
The two men represent two competing forces shaping the 21st century.
When personal quests outweigh collaboration, the price is paid by everyone. Trump would be wise to cut ties with Musk now — before it’s too late.
John Mac Ghlionn is a writer and researcher who explores culture, society and the impact of technology on daily life. His work appears in outlets like The New York Post and Newsweek.
Tags Department of Defense Donald Trump Elon Musk Elon Musk H-1B visa nasa OpenAI Oracle Softbank SpaceX Tesla
Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed