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Welcome to The Logoff: Is the Trump-Musk partnership over? It’s sophisticated — however after as we speak, it’s trying extra like sure.
What simply occurred? President Donald Trump has pinned his legislative hopes on one “huge, lovely invoice,” which handed the Home final month. Immediately, Elon Musk took intention on the invoice as “large, outrageous, pork-filled…a disgusting abomination” that might “massively improve” the finances deficit.
Does it matter what Musk thinks? Possibly not as a lot because it as soon as did. This can be a transitional second for Musk, who’s on his means out after the official finish of his time as a authorities worker final week. Trump, in a farewell press convention, downplayed the departure, saying, “Elon’s actually not leaving. He’s going to be forwards and backwards.”
In non-public, Trump has reportedly expressed some skepticism about Musk, asking whether or not efforts by the Division of Authorities Effectivity have been “all bullshit.” Regardless of that, reporting has up to now steered that the Trump-Musk relationship stays usually amicable — however Musk’s new broadside towards Trump’s invoice could also be an indication of issues fraying.
What did Musk really accomplish? In some methods, comparatively little — as my colleague Andrew Prokop has reported, Musk and DOGE did not get anyplace near cuts on the promised scale. On the identical time, nevertheless, Musk had performed a horrifying quantity of injury — his decimation of US international help alone could have already got brought on a whole bunch of 1000’s of deaths, by some estimates, and can proceed to trigger much more.
What is going to Musk do now? Allegedly, return to specializing in his lengthy listing of corporations, Tesla and SpaceX chief amongst them, and spend much less time on politics. Musk additionally stated in Could that he would do “so much much less” political spending going ahead. On the very least, his feedback Tuesday recommend he’s not all the best way performed with politics, although it stays to be seen how influential he may be.
And with that, it’s time to log out…
We’re returning to a Logoff basic as we speak, with my colleague Patrick Reis’s favourite livestream from a bald eagle’s nest. The nest, house to bald eagles Jackie and Shadow, is situated in Huge Bear Valley, California. I hope it’s a peaceable second on your night, and we’ll see you again right here tomorrow.
