It seemed, at first glance, that they couldn't live without each other. That the government had tied them together like an umbilical cord. And that they would remain inseparable, at least for the sake of enjoying the glory of representing the first personal tandem of the greatest political and financial power in the world.
But they parted ways. Elon Musk left his position as Donald Trump's commissioner for government spending cuts. Together, they cut them with all their might, and then they cut what they didn't want to - the thread that connected them personally.
Their parting at the White House was filled with compliments, as if they had just begun to court each other. They did not give up on their cooperation, and it was even hinted that Musk would become an informal advisor to Trump.
It is certain, however, that there have been disagreements in their quest to overthrow America and the world. While both have supported the right, especially the extreme right in Europe, against the "spread of verminous leftism," Musk has opposed Trump's tariff wars as detrimental to his sprawling global businesses.
At the same time, it turned out that Musk, at the helm of the newly established Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), had failed precisely in efficiency. He promised to cut budget spending by a third, to $170 trillion, then by half of that amount, only to have his performance in this area reduced to only about $XNUMX billion.
These savings were achieved, mainly, by laying off 260.000 of the 2,3 million civil service employees. This has led to a backlog of lawsuits for unjustified dismissals, the adoption of which could cost the state more than 130 billion, according to calculations by specialists from the Partnership for Public Services.
At the same time, Musk has come under the wrath of the heads of many agencies and departments, who believe that his cuts have made them virtually impossible to function. There have also been complaints from individuals in the president's office that the billionaire is trying to stick his nose where it doesn't belong, including into intelligence and data on citizens. They say he could face prosecution for exceeding his authority.
He dismissed the accusations and attributed them to bureaucratic "slackers." And then he made a final leap. He condemned the bill that Trump vigorously supports, because it forces the government deficit to grow, while he and his team insist on reducing it.
At the same time, experts note, predictions that the two greatest lovers of themselves cannot stay together for long have been confirmed. Narcissism does not tolerate competition, so Musk has retreated to practice it in a number of his companies with which he maintains the title of the richest man in the world. With a fortune estimated at around 400 billion dollars, he acts as a "Martian" among Earthlings, and as such is already working on a project to colonize Mars. Of course, with the complicity of the state, which is commanded by Trump.
Their partnership so far has resembled the division of spheres of interest between great powers, which is what their little things were, like the bosses of the White House or "Tesla" with private space and brain chip agencies. Since the formation of their political partnership, the value of the treasures they have at their disposal has grown. Trump by as much as 1,2 billion to a little over five billion, while Musk has jumped by about a hundred billion dollars (with occasional setbacks, caused by the decline in his popularity due to his association with power and lack of empathy).
Both have been accused of a conflict of interest, that they gained power by using political authority, which they deny. Musk, meanwhile, rejects media accusations that he helped himself to drugs while in office, and Trump's close relatives deny that they used their father's or father-in-law's position to profit from the Arabian Peninsula to the Balkans (the disputed arrangement surrounding the General Staff building in Belgrade is also mentioned).
Upon leaving office as president, Musk appeared before reporters with a bruise on his right eye. He explained that it was caused by one of his fourteen acknowledged descendants, his five-year-old son X (whom he wanted to name X Æ A-Xll), who had injured him in a game.
"Evil tongues", however, spread rumors that he was hurt by one of the many people he "stepped on" - from fired officials to women he cheated on. In any case, he came to Washington with a saw (a symbol for budget scraping, modeled after Argentine President Javier Milley), and he leaves with a blue eye - this is how New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd summarizes his political career.
The unmasking of the Mask continues. No one can deny his genius in entrepreneurship, but many do not know what would make him enter politics. And imagine how he can "discipline" the state, like one of his companies where he hands out layoffs with a hat and a fist.
His resignation from office raises broader dilemmas. For example: Now, when the richest man has given up his participation in government, why do other less worthy people hesitate?
Especially those who, like him and Trump, deny that education and an independent judiciary are the foundations of every society and the guarantee that democracy does not slide into autocracy. Here, the rebellious students and citizens are precisely seeking such a foundation, while the government is pressuring to dismiss "unsuitable" professors, prosecutors, judges...
The privatization of state-owned universities and key state-owned companies, a healthy environment, and even influence on the work of the judiciary are also being directed from the top. It is as if the government itself has been privatized, in the hands of a fourth, personal, authority, elevated above all three constitutional branches of government – legislative, executive, and judicial.
A similar pattern was evident in Musk's mission, which ceased to be valid after 130 days. He gave up when it became clear that "power had gone to his head," so much so that he had become a "head-slasher." And that, logically, all of this began to "backfire on him."
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