Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow But Not For Us

 (By American Zen's Mike Flannigan, on loan from Ari)

It's only appropriate, and deliciously so, that the bromance of the century coming to a bitter, acrimonious end would come on National Pride Month. It's almost sad, really, almost, to see two latter-day Nazis, who were once so perfectly aligned, coming to this. To see a historical analogue, one has to go back to the bunker in Berlin and read accounts of Hitler ordering the arrests of Goering and Himmler as he was preparing to blow his brains out.

     The growing war brewing between Trump and Musk is like a ponderous version of War of the Roses or Mr. and Mrs. Smith. But to political wonks like me, it's no less entertaining. Because when two powerful people like "President" Trump and the so-called world's richest man go to war with one another, the rest of us gleefully lick our chops and rub our hands. Popcorn futures are shooting up. It's the greatest show on earth, or what's left of it.

     The ignition point was the "big beautiful bill", essentially Trump's entire domestic agenda in one, bloated greasy ball. This gigantic mass of pork fat, incredibly, passed in the House, albeit by one slim vote, is everything and nothing. What it isn't is an omnibus spending bill. It does not fund the government by one penny. It's designed to take effect over an entire decade in the future (compare that to the CRs that Republicans pass, barely, with Democratic help, to fund the government just a few months at a time).

      In its 1100+ pages are more riders than the entire history of the Kentucky Derby. The CBO (Congressional Budget Office) just released its findings a couple of days ago  In its preliminary analysis of May 20, the CBO found that the bill will result in:

 • An increase in the federal deficit of $3.8 trillion attributable to tax changes, including extending provisions of the 2017 tax act, which includes revenues and outlays for refundable credits.
• $698 billion less in federal subsidies from changes to the Medicaid program.
• $267 billion less in federal spending for SNAP.
• $64 billion less in spending, on net, for all other purposes. That includes increases in outlays for defense, immigration enforcement, and homeland security. Those are offset by reductions in federal
pensions, receipts from spectrum auctions, and changes in receipts and outlays associated with changes to emissions regulations.
• $78 billion in additional state spending, on net, accounting for changes in state contributions to SNAP and Medicaid and for state tax and spending policies necessary to finance additional spending.

     And that isn't it. In its final analysis, the CBO found that the tax cuts will almost completely benefit the top 10%, all the tax hikes will affect the lowest earners, it'll raise the debt ceiling by $4 trillion and an estimated 11,000,000 Americans will lose their Medicare. It will also raise the deficit by $2.4 trillion. Oh, and it prevents federal judges from enforcing their decisions when Trump's minions decide to violate those court orders.

    So, there's nothing in the bill that actually helps working Americans but does a lot to stuff more money in the pockets of those least deserving of it at the expense of SNAP benefits and Medicare coverage for which we're paying to the tune of $185 a month in premiums. So what's the problem that a world-eater like Elon Musk has to call it "an abomination"?

 

 "Get Your Government Hands Off My Subsidies!" 

Yeah, that's it in a nutshell.

     Among the many things in the ""big, beautiful bill" are the rescission of tax credits and incentives for electric car owners. Over the years, Musk's company, Tesla, has handsomely reaped the rewards of such subsidies in a government effort to encourage car buyers to go electric. Musk is pretending that the end of the subsidies won't affect his company much if at all and that it will hurt his competitors, instead.

     But, really, that's it. That's just about the only part of the bill that will affect Musk's bottom line and Tesla's, a company that's already lost a whopping 11% of its market cap just in 2025 and 14% since March. How could that not attract the ire of a money-grubbing monster like Musk? Add to the mix Musk's boy, Jared Issacman, a fellow billionaire, getting his name pulled from consideration for NASA administrator.

     And today, the feud between the two reached new levels of acrimony (something I'd predicted in the pages of this very blog just a few months ago). After Musk, rightly, called the bill "an abomination", Trump had been strangely silent (or perhaps not so strangely considering what Musk has on him). Then, today, Trump came out with this:

    “The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon’s Governmental Subsidies and Contracts. I was always surprised that Biden didn’t do it!”

   In response, Musk wrote this on his Twitter feed: "Time to drop the really big bomb: @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT!"

     Which is something we didn't already suspect but it more than suggests that Musk knows something the rest of us don't. Trump also held an hour-long presser today that Musk live-tweeted every step of the way, essentially calling Trump a liar (which we all know he is). Then Musk added this little gem: "Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate." Then this: "Such ingratitude."

     And we're off to the races, with the little jockeys beating each other with their riding crops to the delight of those of us who loathe and despise these morally-crippled people.

     "I would have won Pennsylvania regardless of Elon…I’m very disappointed with Elon. He knew this bill better than anyone and he only developed a problem when he found out I would cut the EV mandate." 

     Pennsylvania is one of the battleground states that Musk absolutely stole for Trump, which is why Trump immediately thought of the Keystone State and sought to shore up his fraudulent "victory" there. (Don't forget when Musk was about to spill the beans to Tucker Carlson before his four year-old put his hand over his mouth. Musk was talking about following the election results in that very same state).

     Tsk tsk. And just think, Trump gave Musk a key to Washington, DC less than a week ago. What nobody told Elmo is that, right after he gave him the key, Trump changed the locks.