How An Unelected Automotive CEO Purchased His Manner Into Authorities To Tear It Aside And Profit Himself And His Billionaire Buddies

Elon Musk has been a controversial determine for years, however even of us who had been postpone by his fixed lies, bigoted beliefs and creepy remedy of ladies have discovered themselves shocked by simply how rapidly he went from a nasty one who ran a automotive firm to a nasty one who had purchased his manner into the federal government and is now tearing it aside from the within to profit himself and his billionaire buddies. Nobody voted for him, and though we knew he supported right-wing candidates, nobody had any concept that lower than a month after Trump took workplace, we might be debating whether or not the Tesla CEO had given an precise Nazi salute or if the salute he gave was simply Nazi-adjacent. As new reporting from the New York Instances reveals, although, Musk’s plan to take over the federal authorities really started a number of years in the past at a $50,000-per-head dinner.

Allegedly, Musk first floated the thought of what would turn out to be the advisory committee that he calls DOGE (or the Division of Authorities Effectivity) in September 2023 throughout a dinner at fellow billionaire Chamath Palihapitiya’s mansion to lift cash for delusional presidential candidate and wannabe rapper Vivek Ramaswamy’s inevitable failure of a marketing campaign. Musk reportedly needed to maintain his presence on the dinner quiet since he wasn’t fairly able to go full mask-off. There, he advised being given entry to all the authorities’s computer systems so he may intestine the federal government from inside. In any case, what higher strategy to do away with these pesky regulators who saved complaining concerning the security of his merchandise and their harm to the setting?

After spending tons of of hundreds of thousands of {dollars} to achieve Trump’s favor and get him elected, there wasn’t a lot stopping Musk from doing no matter he needed. The dinosaurs in Democratic management had been caught flatfooted, the courts did not present a lot curiosity in stopping him, and Republican lawmakers definitely weren’t going to danger their careers doing something to cease him. Musk and his associates moved in rapidly, taking on the Workplace of Personnel Administration, which operates because the federal authorities’s human assets division, and commenced working to drive staff out of their jobs, whether or not it’s by way of strain, intimidation or, in the end, blatantly unlawful firings. In addition they started tracing the place cash was being spent so they might extra successfully kneecap the companies and departments they did not like or see any use for.

A part of the explanation Musk was capable of transfer so rapidly was as a result of Trump insiders reminiscent of Stephen Miller and Russell Vought had reportedly already frolicked with him, instructing him how the federal authorities operated and serving to him search for weaknesses he may exploit to achieve insider entry. Musk then set his sights on the U.S. Digital Service, a small unit created in 2014 to assist different companies repair their tech issues after the Healthcare.gov web site rollout confronted early points. The billionaire and his associates believed the USDS could be the important thing to taking on and commenced placing the items in place whereas Biden was nonetheless president. That meant they had been capable of hit the bottom working the day Trump took workplace.

Musk did not simply have assist from a former Heritage Basis stooge and, uh, I am undecided I can get what I would wish to name Stephen Miller previous our CMS, so simply use your creativeness. He additionally had loads of class traitors already working within the authorities, wanting to show themselves to their new CEO-King. Amy Gleason, a former USDS staffer, returned as a senior adviser to assist with the Trump transition solely to rent a number of younger, inexperienced Musk loyalists who would later turn out to be notorious. Throughout that transition interval, Musk flunkies wormed their manner into as many companies and departments as they might, gathering info on the pc programs, in addition to contracts and personnel lists.

Musk’s far-right, pro-Trump pivot additionally reportedly flattered Trump to the purpose that he was comfortable to sit down again and let him spearhead their plans to raid the coffers and remake the federal government to completely profit the rich. So long as Musk made that occur, Trump reportedly did not care concerning the particulars of what Musk did or how he did it. In any case, they had been each bored with legal guidelines and rules that acquired in the best way of them from making as a lot cash as potential. It additionally did not damage that Musk’s cult of persona meant hundreds of thousands of credulous morons would purchase into something he did no matter its legality or morality. Whether or not he is violated civil service protections, tried to unilaterally cancel contracts or shut down companies doing very important work, they’ve performed nothing however cheer him on, typically even dropping any pretense of believing within the rule of legislation. If Musk does it, it should be right. 

Any regular individual with a semi-functioning mind can perceive that rules are written in blood. They’re in place as a result of one thing dangerous occurred, and we need to forestall it from taking place once more. Ignoring them is how wildfires begin, office accidents occur and folks die. Musk, nevertheless, reportedly acquired it in his head that the Biden administration was focusing on Tesla and SpaceX by implementing legal guidelines that had been already on the books. He did not like folks with authority investigating his firms, evaluating his security claims, or fining him when his firms polluted the setting. Positive, regulators hold folks protected, however in the event you’re a sociopath who does not care about different folks, what does that matter?

Musk reportedly got here to see a Trump victory as the one manner his firms may survive and sure a lot cheaper than merely following environmental legal guidelines. That does not imply it was low cost to purchase a Trump victory, although. Based on the New York Instances, Musk spent about $300 million to get his most popular final result. Even a number of months earlier than the election, although, Musk was already speaking overtly about his plans to do much more than merely donate to the Trump marketing campaign. In August 2024, he informed right-wing podcaster Lex Fridman, “I’ve mentioned with Trump the thought of a authorities effectivity fee, and I might be prepared to be a part of that fee,” after Fridman mentioned he wished Musk may spend every week in Washington, D.C. making the federal government smaller. Eleven days later, Musk introduced up his concept for a brand new “authorities effectivity fee” on a dwell Twitter name with Trump.

Trump mentioned he agreed it was a good suggestion, though in the event you take a look at his monitor report as president, it is clear Trump has little interest in really lowering the nationwide debt. In any other case, it would not have ballooned by about $8 trillion throughout his first administration. Nonetheless, he continued to help Musk’s so-called “DOGE” concept main as much as the election.

Elon Musk might have been laying the groundwork for his new function, however apart from tweeting incessantly, he allegedly did not actually get going till it was clear Trump had gained. He then holed up in Mar-a-lago and introduced in a number of different ultra-wealthy people, together with Ramaswamy, to determine what they might really do. They reportedly weren’t anxious about what was authorized and as an alternative centered on who would help them and what they might get away with, with fellow billionaire Brad Smith supposedly alienating himself when his concepts required attorneys and thoroughly written govt orders. 

Musk wasn’t fairly able to utterly take away any veil of legitimacy, however he additionally reportedly had no endurance for incremental change. That is how they landed on taking on the USDS, however with out Musk within the function of official administrator. As a substitute, Musk would formally simply be an advisor to the president. Amongst different causes, they reportedly made that call to maintain Musk’s actions secret and keep away from accountability:

For all his speak about “transparency,” Mr. Musk was obsessive about confidentiality and petrified of leaks. If folks filed lawsuits in search of disclosure of his emails or the operation’s information beneath the Freedom of Info Act, the association would set the administration as much as argue that such paperwork had been exempt. In distinction with companies just like the Workplace of Administration and Price range, FOIA doesn’t apply to a president’s White Home advisers or to White Home entities that advise him however wield no formal energy, just like the Nationwide Safety Council.

That is additionally apparently the place Musk’s disagreements with Ramaswamy started. Vivek initially supported taking excessive motion however needed to focus extra on eliminating rules that he did not like. Musk, alternatively, is claimed to have “had scant curiosity in constitutional legislation” and assumed the Supreme Court docket would let him get away with no matter he needed.

By the point Trump was inaugurated, Musk had already assembled a workforce of loyalists able to do his bidding. Government orders had been drafted. Steve Davis, a vicious cost-cutter who had been a part of the plan to take over the USDS was tapped to start dismantling the federal government from inside, and even earlier than Inauguration Day, they’d already despatched staffers to varied authorities tech hubs throughout the nation. Others demanded huge quantities of data from numerous companies with questions that “lined all the things from personnel to pending govt orders to in-depth price range knowledge to how a lot entry officers needed to authorities fee programs.” They even confirmed up on the Treasury, insisting that they be proven the supply code for the fee system that it used to satisfy spending obligations incurred by federal companies. 

Trump, in flip, did his half, virtually instantly signing an govt order that will unleash Musk on the federal authorities whereas formally hiring him as a “particular authorities worker.” In doing so, Musk was allowed to keep away from having his monetary disclosure kind made public. Profession civil servants had been additionally reportedly shocked by how rapidly Musk’s loyalists moved, particularly when it got here to gutting USAID. The truth that the company is significant to America’s gentle energy internationally, and slicing off funding would have disastrous quick results, in addition to undermining the nation’s affect long-term, apparently did not matter. Certainly, Musk is not nonetheless holding a grudge towards USAID for its function in ending South African apartheid, proper? That may simply be petty and infantile.

We’re barely a month into the second Trump administration, and Musk has already performed a lot harm, it is exhausting to know what the subsequent a number of months will appear like. Nobody in Democratic management appears to have the braveness to do something approaching standing as much as Musk and his flunkies. In lower than six weeks, the CEO of an electrical firm has turn out to be the defacto president, and sadly for us, there is not actually a longtime playbook for what you do when a automotive dork takes over your nation. That mentioned, Musk’s energy can also be inextricably tied to his wealth, and that is tied up in Tesla inventory. If there’s something that may be performed, it may begin by taking the protests to Tesla dealerships straight.

Simply, please, for the love of God, do not attempt to blow up any Teslas or Tesla dealerhips. Mock Cybertruck drivers and make it socially unacceptable to be seen driving a Tesla, positive, however hurting folks is not the reply. We are able to hold our protests peaceable and likewise push again towards an unelected billionaire shopping for his manner into authorities after which tearing it aside for the advantage of himself and his different billionaire buddies. In any case, there are solely so a lot of them and plenty of, many extra of us.