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Welcome to The Logoff: Is the Trump-Musk partnership over? It’s difficult — however after immediately, it’s trying extra like sure.
What simply occurred? President Donald Trump has pinned his legislative hopes on one “large, stunning invoice,” which handed the Home final month. As we speak, Elon Musk took intention on the invoice as “large, outrageous, pork-filled…a disgusting abomination” that may “massively improve” the price range deficit.
Does it matter what Musk thinks? Perhaps not as a lot because it as soon as did. It is 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 to this point prompt that the Trump-Musk relationship stays usually amicable — however Musk’s new broadside in opposition to Trump’s invoice could also be an indication of issues fraying.
What did Musk truly accomplish? In some methods, comparatively little — as my colleague Andrew Prokop has reported, Musk and DOGE did not get wherever near cuts on the promised scale. On the identical time, nonetheless, Musk had completed a horrifying quantity of injury — his decimation of US international support alone might have already got induced tons of of hundreds 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 checklist of firms, Tesla and SpaceX chief amongst them, and spend much less time on politics. Musk additionally mentioned 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 way in which completed with politics, although it stays to be seen how influential he might be.
And with that, it’s time to sign off…
We’re returning to a Logoff traditional immediately, with my colleague Patrick Reis’s favourite livestream from a bald eagle’s nest. The nest, residence to bald eagles Jackie and Shadow, is situated in Massive Bear Valley, California. I hope it’s a peaceable second to your night, and we’ll see you again right here tomorrow.
