Co-President Musk Behaving Like a Fascist
Elon Musk's fascist symbolism isn't the issue. His fascist behavior is the issue.
In a recent newsletter, I shared a clip of The Bulwark's Tim Miller being interviewed by Piers Morgan. Miller pointed out that so much media attention on Musk's seeming Nazi gesture was a distraction from the more important issues with Musk.
Into the third week of the Trump presidency, those issues are even more apparent and compounded.
Musk and his DOGE team gained access to the Treasury Department's federal payments system and began shutting down programs he doesn't like. Musk, who has notoriously demonstrated pro-Putin affinities, went first after a program that hurts Putin — USAID. The Kremlin cheered. Musk may be more personally motivated in going after USAID, however. A USAID inspector general was investigating Musk's company Starlink's partnership with Ukraine.
Chuck Schumer, leader of the Senate Democrats, announced this week they would introduce legislation to stop Musk. But Musk is already in violation of current law. Why does Schumer think we need new legislation for Musk to also ignore? While the opposition is just starting to put its pants on, Musk is already taking a sledgehammer to other programs he doesn't like.
Musk became the richest man in the world through government contracts and now has access to the system that pays government contracts. But no worries, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said this week, because Musk will monitor himself for any conflicts of interest (video link).
I'm in favor of getting rid of wasteful government spending. I'm in favor of reducing the size of the federal government.1 I am a conservative, after all. But it needs to be done the right way. What Musk is doing is illegal and unconstitutional. Article 1, sections 8 and 9 of the US Constitution gives the power of the purse to Congress2, not the president, and certainly not to an unelected "Special Government Employee" who behaves like he's co-president.
Plus, Musk and his team tech bro-culture geeks, many in their 20s and one 19yo (one of whom resigned due to racist posts), have no expertise in public policy or federal budgets. They're destroying institutions and processes that have real consequences for people's lives. Here is just one example. USAID funds medical trials. People who are in the middle of these treatments suddenly had the funding cut. In addition to that funding now going to waste because the trial can't be completed, for some treatments, we're putting recipients’ health at risk.
This is, of course, a "contact your congressperson" situation, but also share widely what is taking place. Share the personal stories of those affected. Share this newsletter! Our friends, family, and neighbors who get their information from a right-wing news bubble will not understand what is happening. All they see is a glorified and misinformed presentation of President Trump and “Co-President” Musk.
Here are some helpful links:
NBC News: “How Elon Musk boosted false USAID conspiracy theories to shut down global aid”
AP: "Trump promotes misleading claims about federal government’s media subscriptions"
NYT: “Abandoned in the Middle of Clinical Trials, Because of a Trump Order” (Gift Link)
The Atlantic: “The Government’s Computing Experts Say They Are Terrified” (Gift Link)
Yahoo News: “Elon Musk Reportedly Has a Huge Conflict of Interest Motivating Him to Gut USAID”
The Bulwark: “The Real Reason Musk Is Mad at Us”
Other Helpful Reads
The Guardian: “US immigration is gaming Google to create a mirage of mass deportations”
That four-day operation in Colorado? It happened in November 2010. The 123 people targeted in New Orleans? That was February of last year. Wisconsin? September 2018. There are thousands of examples of this throughout all 50 states – Ice press releases that have reached the first page of Google search results, making it seem like enforcement actions just happened, when in actuality they occurred months or years ago. Some, such as the arrest of “44 absconders” in Nebraska, go back as far as 2008.
All the archived Ice press releases soaring to the top of Google search results were marked with the same timestamp and read: “Updated: 01/24/2025”.
Link.
WaPo: “Black D.C. church vandalized by Proud Boys awarded control of group’s name”
A historic Black church in D.C. that was vandalized by members of the extremist Proud Boys in 2020 has secured the group’s naming rights, allowing the institution to seek proceeds from sales of the organization’s merchandise and membership dues.
Christianity Today: “When ICE Comes to Church”
Wilson’s arrest appears to be the first reported ICE raid at a church in President Donald Trump’s second term. It came five days after the administration revoked a policy that, for 13 years, had ordered ICE officers to avoid making arrests at houses of worship and other “sensitive locations,” including schools, hospitals, and parades.
News that some of the country’s safest spaces would no longer be safe for undocumented immigrants—or, in Wilson’s case, even for those who could produce a valid Social Security number—electrified fears of what might come next. School districts emailed staff with instructions about what to do if ICE came knocking. Pastors of churches with immigrant majorities phoned lawyers and one another: If they knew a parishioner was in the country illegally, could they be complicit in something? Could they keep running food pantries?
Link.
Lifeway Research: “Evangelicals Want Secure Borders and Citizenship Pathway for Immigrants”
Many U.S. evangelicals may view early immigration and refugee maneuvers by President Donald Trump’s administration as a mixed bag.
Evangelicals want both secure borders and laws that provide avenues for certain illegal immigrants to obtain legal status, according to a Lifeway Research study. They want to deport dangerous illegal immigrants but aren’t as concerned about those who arrived as children and have lived peacefully in the U.S. Additionally, evangelicals recognize personal and national responsibilities to care for refugees and others fleeing their nation of origin.
Link.
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Pastors,
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I also supported giving the president a line-item veto, which was passed by a Republican Congress during the Clinton administration before getting struck down by the Supreme Court.
Congress clarified and reasserted its budgetary authority with passage of the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974.
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