Beyond the Trump-Musk fallout?

At first impression, it makes no sense that Musk would start firing away at the (admittedly imperfect) budget bill, or escalate to DefCon 1, by tweeting nonsense about impeachment, the Epstein files, or disengaging his space efforts from the U.S. agenda to stay preeminent in space.

After all, he and Trump have roughly the same enemies—the Left that is now delighted at their quarrel—and the same general aims: to repeal the progressive cultural project, to restore meritocracy, to strive to ensure the U.S. is globally preeminent economically and militarily, to unfetter the economy, and to limit government intrusion.

It is an irony of our checks and balances that an elected president, with majorities in both branches of Congress, still does not govern without compromise with hundreds of representative and senators.

Trump’s task is now further complicated because for the first time in U.S. history he is also the daily target of a systemic attack by legions of cherry-picked, lower-court, liberal federal district judges, who find their five-minutes of liberal fame, by issuing fiats not for their regional jurisdictions, but for all 340 million Americans everywhere.

Musk, on the other hand, as the richest man in the world and CEO of his companies, can rule by directives, in a way a president, the most powerful man in the world, simply cannot. What the White House may have wanted in the bill, and what they could reasonably achieve were not synonymous.

Moreover, Musk knows that his nemesis is the left, not MAGA, much less Trump.

Trump was sincerely awed by Musk’s rocketry and his rescue of the astronauts. He befriended Musk because he admired his competence, similar candor, and even his eccentricities—and saw what his talents were doing and could do for the country.

Musk in turn was moved by Trump’s defiance after nearly having his head blown off, and likewise was appalled what the Left had done to the border, in the blue-city downtowns, in Kabul, and anywhere subject to their anti-Midas touch.

Musk knows that the leftwing California coastal commission tried to curtail his rocket launches, out of spite.

Democrats tried to ruin him for his valuable work with DOGE.

If the Democrats win the House, they will go after both Musk and Trump with endless subpoenas and nihilist Mueller-like investigations. (Musk should be right now strategizing with Republican House members how to ward off a Democratic takeover).

Tesla started bleeding because of a systematic leftwing effort to terrorize Tesla drivers, dealerships, and charging stations, and a Democratic-media-backed PR campaign to demonize the brand—all because Musk had aligned himself with Trump.

So, Musk, knows that Trump treated him fairly and gave him more latitude than any private presidential advisor since the friendship between Harry Hopkins (who moved into the White House) and FDR.

What will likely follow?

Hopefully a social media truce—followed by intermediaries restoring the friendship but spelling out the limitations and constraints on each that will result in a new less volatile, less intense, but more sustainable and mutually beneficial relationship.

Trump is now engaged in high-stakes diplomacy with some of the toughest, slyest, and meanest leaders in the world with Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, and the Iranian lunatic theocrats. He cannot afford to reach out to Musk and thereby appear to his enemies that he backs down.

But if Musk reaches out and wishes to look ahead and not nurse wounds, Trump can certainly be magnanimous and to his credit state that he holds no grudges for what was said in the heat of passion, as he too looks forward to where and when he can help and be helped by Musk in the many areas where their aims are similar.

The sane tech crowd, and most of the MAGA base want an end to this aberrant Trump-Musk eruption. Over half the country concurs.

Do not be fooled that the suicidal impulses of Democrats have neutered them.

Instead, we are witnessing an unprecedented, unhinged Democrat effort to use lawfare, big Democrat donors, street theater, congressional disruptions, potty-mouth videos, the administrative state, the legacy media, and discredited pollsters to stop the Trump agenda. It will only intensify as the midterms near.

Unity not, not discord, is needed now—and quickly.

By Victor Davis Hanson on X