Elon Musk, the richest individual on this planet and self-proclaimed king of techno, makes a grand entrance in the course of the rock songs. He takes the stage, which has a big American flag within the middle, in a college auditorium in suburban Philadelphia. Excessive-production cameras roll as Musk delivers an extended speech punctuated with spectacle. To a viewer who did not know what was taking place in American politics, it could seem that Musk was a presidential candidate.
Elon Musk isn’t the presidential candidate. It could actually’t be.
Musk was not born in the USA, a fundamental criterion for taking part within the US presidential elections.
Whereas he can’t be president, he has taken on the function of kingmaker. He’s spending time, power. and all attainable assets on the Trump marketing campaign. He has invested greater than 75 million {dollars} in it. If Trump wins, Musk will develop into crucial a part of his authorities.
At a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, Musk continued to leap on stage at the same time as Trump spoke. Whereas Trump was on the helm, Musk had taken middle stage.
In all probability, it isn’t nearly being crucial a part of Trump’s ministry if the Republican chief returns to the White Home.
With nearly two weeks left till the US election, Republican candidate Trump is presently tied with Democratic candidate Kamala Harris in all battleground states, in response to a number of polls.
Whereas Musk can’t direct his wealth and switch it right into a presidential candidacy within the US elections. He’s turning his wealth right into a ticket to energy by Trump. And he could also be planning even additional.
“Musk is the one poised to dwell out the last word techno-authoritarian fantasy. Along with his affect, he can seize the state, not simply enrich himself. His tangle with Trump will likely be an Ayn Rand novel come to life,” The Atlantic stated in one among its studies. .
It additionally stated Musk can be the Trump administration’s “grasp engineer” who “redesigns the American state, and subsequently American life, in its personal picture.”
‘NO MAGA, DARK MAGA’ ELON MUSK
That is additionally mirrored within the combativeness with which Musk campaigns for Trump.
Now, he is even giving out greater than one million {dollars} every day to voters in seven swing states, together with Pennsylvania, Georgia and Nevada.
Musk believes Pennsylvania is a “key state” in Trump’s bid for president, The New York Instances studies.
Musk has now moved to Pennsylvania to supervise Trump’s marketing campaign. That is much like how he dealt with a disaster at Tesla, the place he slept on the workplace sofa till the disaster was over.
Each Trump and Musk even rallied collectively in early October in Butler, Pennsylvania.the place the Republican candidate survived an assassination try. Musk took the stage sporting a black hat that stated “Make America Nice Once more” and known as himself “not simply MAGA, I am a darkish MAGA.”
His marketing campaign continued in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, final week.
However issues did not begin that means.
Musk was not at all times a right-wing Republican and contributed to Democrat Barack Obama’s marketing campaign. Trump at one level known as Musk a “shitty artist.”
Musk, then again, stated Trump “would not appear to have the sort of character that displays nicely on America.”
However this flip by Musk and Trump comes from the mutual good thing about this alliance.
“He is a really sensible man. I definitely would, if he did it, I definitely would. He is an excellent man,” Trump stated in August when requested if he was contemplating Musk for advisory place or cupboard job.
If Trump wins, Musk will occupy an vital place within the federal authorities and Trump is benefiting tremendously from the assist of the richest man on this planet, who additionally is aware of the way to appeal to media and social media consideration.
This isn’t to say that Musk would not have already got immense energy over the US federal authorities.
But it surely has but to show the American authorities into its personal “revenue middle,” The Atlantic reported.
His firm, SpaceX, wants contracts from three-letter businesses and the Pentagon. Tesla depends on authorities tax credit for electrical automobiles and subsidies for its charging stations.
These two corporations have received $15 billion in federal contracts.
Its SpaceX is a significant factor in deciding NASA’s rocket schedule. The Division of Protection additionally depends on it to launch most of its satellites into orbit. A number of of Musk’s tasks with 17 federal businesses have been promised $3 billion final yr, the NYT reported.
Based on The Wall Road Journal, SpaceX is even creating merchandise for “nationwide safety prospects in thoughts.”
HOW MUSK IS TURNING THE TIDE IN TRUMP’S FAVOR
However a Trump victory will solely give him extra energy.
Within the Philadelphia college auditorium, Musk walked to Brooks & Dunn’s ‘Solely in America’ and spoke of “the way forward for America” and, subsequently, that “civilization” itself was at stake.
This was the primary time Musk took his on-line assist for Trump to the bottom.
He was there to encourage Pennsylvania voters to do their greatest on voter registration and to persuade his group and associates to do the identical earlier than the state’s deadline.
However the occasion was as a lot about voting because it was about Musk.
He’s now spending tens of tens of millions of {dollars} to attraction to pro-Trump voters throughout the USA.
He is even stated he would possibly take a bus tour of Pennsylvania and personally knock on doorways to see how your cash is spent.
The now Trump supporter spoke about his views on Trump and his imaginative and prescient for America. But it surely was not restricted to that. He mentioned the battle between Israel and Hamas, electoral expertise, the Meals and Drug Administration, and the aftermath of World Struggle II.
He did not even discuss Trump for a number of minutes.
A New York Instances report even stated they have been followers of Musk and never Trump.
Some individuals on the rally have been his followers, others have been from his college, and one girl even appeared for a job for her son.
However there have been additionally supporters of Trump and Musk.
He even heard about the issue from a rally attendee, however, as a politician, he stated, “Let’s not get controversial.”
Musk has panicked about what would occur to the USA if Trump did not win. This has to do together with his personal achievements but in addition together with his view of American historical past.
This means concern for “undocumented immigrants” to their concern about free elections in the USA.
Steve Davis, who was a SpaceX engineer, joined Musk as head of his tunneling firm. This function is much like the “sidekick” function he performed within the Twitter acquisition, the NYT studies.
He is utilizing his enterprise classes for Trump’s political marketing campaign.
WHAT WILL MUSK REALLY GET IF TRUMP WINS?
Donald Trump has promised to call Musk head of the “authorities effectivity fee” with the authority to advocate sweeping cuts to federal businesses and even the correct to alter federal guidelines.
This may give Musk the ability to manage the regulators who management his corporations.
This emerged at the same time as SpaceX needed to ask permission to discharge giant quantities of probably contaminated water from its facility in Texas. Musk stated one of these course of slows down SpaceX’s arrival to Mars. “So long as it isn’t stifled by paperwork,” he wrote in X.
“The Division of Authorities Effectivity is the one path to extending life past Earth.”
In early October he spoke out towards the Federal Communications Fee, which controls the Web satellites launched by SpaceX. He prompt in ” after a hurricane devastated elements of the state.
Even when interviewing Trump, Musk talked about this a number of instances, however Trump didn’t go into particulars.
“I believe it could be nice to have a authorities effectivity fee that appears at this stuff and simply makes positive that taxpayer cash – taxpayers’ hard-earned cash – is spent nicely,” Musk stated. “And I might be completely satisfied to assist on that fee.”
“I might like to,” Trump lastly stated. “Properly, you’re the greatest cutter.”
If Musk will get a high-level administration place, regulators might must keep away from Musk’s corporations.
Musk’s involvement is “unparalleled in trendy historical past.”
Nevertheless, the self-proclaimed “king of techno” was requested what he would do if Kamala Harris received, and never Donald Trump.
He stated he would settle for the consequence and never act like a “jerk” about it.
Right here is the message.
The validity of the election outcomes shouldn’t be questioned. However Musk asks the identical of his opponents. Anybody who doesn’t settle for the consequence can be an “asshole” in Elon Musk’s e book. And Musk would dwell one other day to play an even bigger and deeper function in influencing US governance.