How Long Will Trump’s Friendship with Elon Musk Last?

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December 25, 2024

Published in Der Standard
(Austria) on 19 December 2024
by Manuel Escher (link to original link to original)

Translated from by Mallory Matsumoto. Edited by Michelle Bisson.

Via X, Elon Musk causes the downfall of a planned compromise on the federal budget and pushes Donald Trump along. Maybe it's a taste of what’s to come.

Is he being put out to pasture? Or is he in an influential position exempt from the congressional accountability that applies to government offices? Many asked themselves these questions when Donald Trump and Elon Musk introduced the “Department of Government Efficiency” that the tech billionaire is set to lead.

Named after the internet meme “Doge”— it started as a cute dog picture that was an unpolitical source of joy — the organization seems to be a harmless creation. But its mission is grim. Among other things, it is supposed to identify constitutional provisions that should be deleted and government offices that are to be eliminated, targeting for dismissal people who remain loyal to the Constitution rather than to Trump’s plans.

Now Musk has intervened in another issue and torpedoed a political compromise on provisional financing for the government. Whether he did so in Trump’s name is unclear. Instead, it seems more like he pushed the president-elect along via social media.

It may just be a few difficult weeks for many officials; a solution to fund the government will eventually be found. But DOGE is here to stay. Even now, AI images are popping up online that show Musk instead of Trump being sworn in as president, or even Trump on the billionaire’s leash.

The partnership between the most powerful, wealthiest men in the world seems to be advantageous to both. But will Trump’s ego continue to play along with such images? The relationship will continue to be a source of tension.

Wie lange hält Trumps Freundschaft mit Elon Musk?
Elon Musk bringt via X einen geplanten Kompromiss zur Regierungsfinanzierung zu Fall und treibt Donald Trump vor sich her. Womöglich ein Vorgeschmack

Ist es ein Abstellgleis? Oder ist es eine einflussreiche Position, fernab der Aufsichtspflichten des Kongresses, die für Regierungsämter gelten? Das fragten sich viele, als Donald Trump und Elon Musk das vom Tech-Milliardär geführte "Department of Government Efficiency" vorstellten.
Benannt nach dem Internet-Meme "Doge" – einst ein nettes Hundebild, das unpolitisch Freude bereitete –, kommt die Organisation scheinbar harmlos daher. Ihr Auftrag aber ist düster: Unter anderem soll es zu streichende Stellen in der Verfassung feststellen und jene zur Entlassung markieren, die im Zweifel statt Trumps Plänen der Verfassung treu sind.
Nun hat sich Musk bei einer anderen Frage eingeschaltet und einen politischen Kompromiss zur vorübergehenden Finanzierung der Regierung torpediert. Ob er dies im Namen Trumps tat, ist nicht ganz klar. Eher scheint es, er habe den gewählten Präsidenten via Social Media vor sich hergetrieben.
Auch wenn es nun vielleicht ein paar harte Wochen für viele Beamte werden – für die Finanzierung der Regierung wird sich letztlich eine Lösung finden. Doge aber bleibt. Schon jetzt tauchen im Netz KI-Bilder auf, die Musk statt Trump bei der Angelobung als Präsident zeigen oder gar Trump an der Hundeleine des Milliardärs.
Die Partnerschaft des mächtigsten und des reichsten Mannes der Welt scheint für beide vorteilhaft. Aber spielt Trumps Ego bei solchen Bildern lange mit? Die Beziehung wird noch für Spannung sorgen. (Manuel Escher, 19.12.2024)

This post appeared on the front page as a direct link to the original article with the above link .

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