New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman is still sniffing Donald Trump’s farts and calling them perfume. She’s still, improbably, deeply embedded in Trump’s camp and those people must be calling her 24-7 to complain about Elon Musk. Trump has spent the bulk of the transition at Mar-a-Lago, where it’s easier for staff to “handle” him and control his public appearances. Trump is profoundly senile and he has to be heavily stage-managed constantly. There’s a good news/bad news situation: while at MAL, Elon Musk has more influence and access to Trump, and that influence and access will greatly decrease once Trump is back in the White House. The other bad news part is that it will be more difficult for staff to stage-manage Trump overall at the White House. So for now, people are just focusing on how Elon Musk is annoying the sh-t out of everyone, including Trump.
Publicly, Donald Trump is thrilled to have his mega-donor and “First Buddy” Elon Musk camping out just a few hundred feet from his house. Privately, he seems to be tiring of Musk dropping in whenever he feels like it.
“Trump does complain a bit to people about how Musk is around a lot,” New York Times journalist and “Trump whisperer” Maggie Haberman told tech reporter Kara Swisher during the latest episode of Swisher’s podcast, On.
After pouring more than a quarter-billion dollars into Trump’s re-election effort, Musk has been renting the $2,000-per-night Banyan Cottage at Trump’s private Mar-a-Lago club, the New York Times reported last week. It’s not clear who will ultimately foot the bill for the cottage, which is just a few hundred feet from Trump’s main residence and transition-team headquarters. From Banyan, Musk has been able to attend Trump’s personnel meetings and crash awkward dinners with rival tech billionaires, like Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.
“He really parked himself in Trump’s face,” Haberman said.
For now, Musk seems to be on the winning side of the MAGA civil war that’s pitted Silicon Valley’s regulation-hating tech bros against the original grassroots loyalists who have backed Trump since 2016, she said. But it’s not clear how long that will last. Trump hasn’t even taken office yet, and already Musk has inserted himself in policy battles to the point of Democrats calling him “President Musk.”
“It definitely bothers him,” Haberman said of Trump’s reaction to the taunt. “The ‘President Musk’ line was always going to be a way to get him. Trump’s not a wind-up toy, but there certainly are very specific things that can zotz him.”
Trump is a “one-ring circus,” according to his long-time friends, and “I’m not sure Musk has figured that out yet,” Haberman added. She predicted that Musk will try to maintain his current level of physical proximity to Trump even after the inauguration on Jan. 20. But it’s likely to be far more difficult once the Trump apparatus moves from Mar-a-Lago to the White House.
“I don’t anticipate that Musk is going to have an office in the West Wing,” Haberman said. “I don’t even know that he will have a blue pass to wander around.” The blue badge gives staffers access to the White House and Executive Office Building. Despite his hanging around, Musk isn’t Trump’s most influential adviser, Haberman said. Those would be Trump’s campaign manager turned chief of staff Susie Wiles and his white-nationalist deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller.
The “President Musk” tactic was one of the most effective social/political strategies employed in years. Democrats really hammered that for a couple of weeks and it did get under Trump’s skin. I hope they keep doing it. But more than that, I’m rooting for a messy Musk-Trump breakup. I want hurt feelings, I want briefing wars, I want Musk to throw a tantrum, I want Trump to publicly threaten Musk. The looming split is one of the few things I’m looking forward to this year.
Photos courtesy of Getty, Cover Images.
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- Donald Trump rally at Madison Square Garden attracting many Trump supporters, causing many long lines and clashes with rigorous security provided by the NYPD Featuring: Elon Musk Where: New York City, New York, United States When: 27 Oct 2024 Credit: TheNews2/Cover Images
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- Elon Musk listens as United States President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with US House Republicans at the Hyatt Regency hotel in Washington, DC Featuring: Elon Musk Where: Washington, District of Columbia, United States When: 13 Nov 2024 Credit: Allison Robbert/POOL via CNP/INSTARimages.com
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- Elon Musk, with his son “X” on his head, enters the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) meeting with Speaker of the US House of Representatives Mike Johnson (Republican of Louisiana) Vivek Ramaswamy and several GOP members, among others, at the Capitol Visitor Center Featuring: Elon Musk, X Musk, Mike Johnson Where: Washington, District of Columbia, United States When: 05 Dec 2024 Credit: CNP/INSTARimages
I am so torn. On one hand, I want Elon to wind up broke and friendless and quickly as possible. On the other hand, whoever has Trump’s ear runs the executive branch, and some of the MAGAs waiting in the wings are pure evil.
You know that Elon is pushing a far right party in Germany that pines for the good ole Nazi days – it doesn’t get much more evil than that.
Elon is also telling the far right in Britain that they’re not far right enough, and his disinformation on X helped fuel last summer’s racist riots in Britain. F Elon. Tr*mp is probably jealous that he’s not Elon’s only pet project. Elon wants Nazis to take over everywhere.
Musk is accustomed to buying whatever he wants. He bought this election, he believes, and now wants his share of the power. He will not go quietly.
Two drama kings.
It’s not going to end well.
It’s going to be a horrible four years for us all but I don’t think folks see that it’s going to be really bad for the rotten 🍊 too. Lots of maggots don’t like Musty, PM Starmer has been vocal about his valid issues with Musty and he’s trying to get a Nazi elected to office in Germany. Add to it all that open sore Bannon does not like him. I think if he tried to divorce himself from Musty it will be a huge, messy problem.
Musk is currently trying to buy his way into UK politics as well. I guess now he’s bought himself a US president, he thinks the world’s his for the taking.
President (F)Elon
This is the only way Elon can be president in the US. He’s gonna cling like a barnacle.
I actually don’t think they will break up, because it’s 2025 and the worst possible things happen.
Putin’s not going to allow his boy Musk to stop guarding Trump.
All I can say is “Gawd help us all”.
This isn’t even a little bit true. Trump accidentaly posted what was supposed to be a private message to Elon begging him to come back to Mar-a-lago over the holidays. He’s in love!
IMO, The tech bros (and mostly Elon) own Trump. Also imo, they were key for a Trump win. At the same time, if Trump goes against them, they can ruin him(they weren’t as supportive of him in 2020 and he totally lost). I wouldn’t underestimate the tech bros, Trump can’t put them aside like he can with others – it will be his Karma and its a B.
It would be super hilarious if they did break up and Trump cancelled all of Elon’s contracts,
I just want to put the record straight that Maggie Haberman is not a creature of Trump. She has long been considered an expert on him and has written about him for years. She writes unflinching appraisals of him that are often unflattering.
Ha ha ha
Two attention seeking aholes that think they’re the smartest ones in the room🤣this isn’t going to end well.
I’ll add wood to Trump’s fire: Elon is more handsome than you and he has a bigger dick. That will infuriate him because with guys like these, it’s always about whose junk is bigger.
Grabbing my popcorn. Can’t wait for this entire circus to implode.