Undoubtedly, this is the most sensational and spectacular breakup drama of all time across the globe.
After all, one is the President of the world’s only superpower, Donald Trump, and the other is Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, now entering the second round of their breakup drama.
The first round was characterized by Musk’s outbursts, exposing Trump’s scandals, and Trump’s threats to retaliate. Both sides engaged in a fierce battle, seemingly ready to go to war over it. Eventually, everyone urgently called for peace, and Musk gave in, ending the phone call.
After a brief pause, the firefight resumed.
Clearly, Musk still couldn’t forgive Trump for pushing through the “Bigger is Better” bill.
In his view, what “Bigger is Better” is nothing but “crazy spending,” aiming to bankrupt America completely.
On June 30th, Musk publicly issued a warning:
“Every Congressman who advocated for cutting government spending during the campaign and immediately voted for the largest debt increase in history should feel ashamed. And even if this is my last act on this planet, I will make sure you lose in next year’s primary elections.”
This was not just a warning but also a threat.
He even targeted two American congressmen, saying:
“If you vote for ‘Debt Enslavement Act’, which includes the largest debt ceiling increase in history, what right do you have to claim yourself as a ‘Freedom Caucus’?”
Perhaps not receiving a positive response, Musk then launched into a full-blown attack, lashing out:
“It’s obvious… we live in a one-party system—the Pig Party (referring to the Republican Party!)! It’s time to establish a new party that truly cares about the people.”
This was an open threat to form a new party, directly opposing Trump!
Imagine if America had been a two-party system, and if Musk really did create a new party, splitting the three parties, Democrats would remain Democrats, Republicans would be divided into two halves, effectively undermining Trump’s power.
“Elon Musk’s subsidies could far exceed any in history. Without these subsidies, he might have had to shut down and return to his homeland in South Africa. Without rocket launches, satellite production, or electric vehicle manufacturing, our country could save a significant amount of money. Perhaps we should let the DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) carefully review this matter? It could save us a lot of money!!!”
On July 1st, Trump left the White House and visited “Crocodile Island,” Florida, before boarding a helicopter. Before taking off, he asked if Musk would be expelled from the country.
“I don’t know,” Trump replied, “I need to think about it.”
“We might have to use DOGE to deal with Musk. Do you know what DOGE is? DOGE is that monster that might have to turn back and eat Elon Musk. Isn’t that terrifying?”
Trump’s threat was also quite direct.
1. Musk, keep talking nonsense and I will expel you back to South Africa.
2. Your mood swings are because I cancelled your subsidy.
3. DOGE, we should thoroughly investigate Musk.
It’s worth noting that DOGE was originally established by Musk himself. Now having DOGE investigating Musk is like slapping Musk in the face, a version of the American “bait and switch.”
Musk clearly wasn’t easily intimidated.
In response to Trump’s question about subsidies, he immediately responded:
“All subsidies, now!”
Regarding the threat of expulsion, he challenged on social media:
“I really want to go further, too much so, but for now, I must restrain myself.”
So, we’ll see.
The greatest friendship has turned into the most entertaining farce.
The good news is that both parties are well-informed and haven’t escalated to the level of personal attacks seen last time; the bad news is that both individuals are impulsive personalities, and with the conflict intensifying, there could be explosive news at any moment.
Firstly, Musk has perceived a profound crisis.
Spend money to enjoy it, spend money and enjoy it continuously. That’s the current state of the US government.
But this conceals a massive crisis.
Musk has seen this crisis and joined Trump’s administration, slashing expenses decisively; now, he is willing to part ways with Trump openly warning.
I see that he has reposted his previous warning,
“The United States is rapidly insolvent, everyone is quietly heading towards their grave,”
because it’s simple: the annual interest payments on the US national debt exceed the entire budget of the Department of Defense, which is unsustainable.
Milton Friedman’s warning:
“History shows that governments will spend all the revenues from the tax system, plus what they can afford to spend, but now the size of the government is too large.”
The great American is on the verge of bankruptcy, which is the source of Musk’s anxiety.
Secondly, the collapse of an idealist.
Musk has many flaws, arrogance, love for show, and poor relations with people around him, and he also likes to have children without scruples; but his strengths are also obvious, wealth, willingness to spend money, dare to innovate, and more importantly, he is an idealist.
He was born in South Africa, of course, but now he is American, but he seems even more American than most Americans, and more worried about the future of America than most Americans.
He was once a close friend of Trump, a major investor, a key figure in Trump’s ascent to the presidency, and at one point, the most trusted left-hand man of Trump.
But Trump is Trump, and Trump claims to change America, to make America great again, but Trump still needs to face political reality, integrate into Washington’s clique culture, then he must pay, pay, pay in various ways.
This is a conflict between an idealist and a real-world political figure in America.
Musk’s ideals should have been shattered by American politics.
Thirdly, the show is far from over.
After parting ways, each one finds happiness on their own, which seems to be unattainable now.
From then on, Xiao Tian Tian has become a past memory, and Niu Fu’s role as well cannot be fulfilled; they are like adversaries, not excluding the possibility of a bloody confrontation.
Trump is very strong-willed, and Musk is also very strong-willed. Sometimes, when two powerful individuals join forces, they can indeed achieve great things; but more often, these two strong people tend to part ways, even becoming enemies.
The second round is still ongoing, and there’s no doubt about the third or fourth rounds.
These two figures, who have been at the forefront of their respective fields, have staged a spectacular split.
Moreover, it’s worth noting that both are world-renowned internet celebrities with millions of followers. We are witnessing a century-old split in the era of new media, filled with highs and lows, and spectacular displays of talent.
Let’s get it done, let’s just keep going.
Right, if Trump were to take drastic measures, and if Musk were truly expelled, where would he go?