Summary
Musk is trying to backtrack on his previous demands to shut down the government.
Elon Musk initially supported a government shutdown, criticizing Republicans who backed a continuing resolution and calling for no new bills until Donald Trump retakes office.
His posts on X encouraged GOP hardliners and contributed to chaos in Congress.
After a bipartisan spending bill failed to pass, Musk blamed Democrats, ignoring that 38 Republicans also voted against it.
Facing backlash for his earlier remarks, Musk is now deflecting responsibility as House Speaker Mike Johnson struggles to avoid a shutdown.
What I don’t get is why anyone in power (except maybe Captain Cheeto) actually bothers to listen to him in the first place. It’s not like he has any actual authority. Congress is absolutely free to ignore him entirely, and they should — regardless of which side of the aisle they’re on.
He can use his money to support challengers in their next elections. He’s already said he’s going to do this to the Democrats. As we’ve seen with AIPAC recently, it doesn’t take much money to unseat politicians. Musk has enough money to basically control congress.
Because he’s paying off Trump’s legal debt is my best guess.
I could be wrong, but that’s my head canon at least.
Never pick a fight with someone who buys ink by the barrel.