RATIONAL REASON: Who's getting played?
For once, it may be Trump
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Elon Musk has exploded onto the political scene with the force of one of his SpaceX rockets blasting into space. He’s rented a cottage at Mar-a-Lago to stay close to President-elect Trump. He’s spoken to foreign leaders about geopolitical issues. He inserts himself in American governance and has proven his skill at manipulating Congress via his social media platform, X (Twitter). He carries the unofficial monikers of co-president, prime minister, or confident-in-chief and has quickly become a powerful player in American politics.
We’re used to President-elect Donald Trump, the masterful manipulator, using his social media musings to get his way. One Truth Social post of tariffs and Canada and Mexico jump, for example.
But in Musk, Trump has met his match.
Musk. the world’s richest man with a networth of about $340 billion, has ego and ambition as big as his bank account.
Musk recently met with world leaders with Trump, which spurred increduality from Washington insiders who believe the X and Tesla owner has no business in these sessions since he’s a private citizen.
That ignores that Musk has regularly met with world leaders before he became attached to Trump’s hip. CNN reported that Musk has met with more than a dozen top officials over the last several years, which makes sense. Musk has technology these governments want and can’t build themselves. Along the way, he’s able to use power, gained thought wealth and technology, to gain meetings with anyone he wants for whatever purpose he wants. Before Musk/Trump became a pair, Musk was already laying the groundwork to become a power in global affairs.
Despite that power, he not infiltrated American politics, the world’s biggest power Musk needs to solidify his political bonafides. The American cache can lead to even more meetings as he tries to corner as much of the global market as he can by providing AI technology, solar powered systems, Starlink internet access and more.
Elon Musk, amibitious tech billionaire, is a businessman without America and Trump and not much more. With Trump, he’s an influential power broker with global influence that no one dare challenge. And if he is challenged, he can use the combined reach of X (Twitter) and Truth Social to sway public opinion.
Musk needs Trump more than Trump needs Musk. In this case, it appears that the master mainiopulator is being manipulated himself. It’ll be interesting to see how long this relationship lasts.
Ray Marcano has more than 40 years of experience as a reporter, editor, executive, and leader. He’s worked for some of the country’s biggest brands, including CNN, ESPN’s Andcape, and USAToday. His award-winning column appears each Sunday in the Dayton (OH) Daily News, and he’s a frequent contributor to the Columbus (OH) Dispatch. He’s the former national president of the Society of Professional Journalists, a two-time Pulitzer juror, and a Fulbright Fellow.