2008-2016
Early GOP Attacks on Musk and Tesla : Crony Capitalism Was the Rallying Cry
Before Elon Musk became the poster boy of right-wing techno-nationalism, Republicans saw him as everything they hated about government interference in markets.
- Mitt Romney (2012) lumped Tesla in with “loser” companies that relied on taxpayer handouts.
- Rush Limbaugh and National Review blasted Tesla for serving wealthy elites while burning public money.
- Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY), Sen. Deb Fischer (R-NE), and Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY) all led efforts to kill EV subsidies and promote “market purity”.
At the time, Tesla’s $465M DOE loan and reliance on green energy incentives made it a punching bag. This was textbook Republican orthodoxy: no subsidies, no socialism, no green agenda.
2016-2020
The Shift Begins, But Skepticism Lingers
Even under Trump, Musk didn’t get a full pass. His support for carbon taxes and early leanings toward Democratic causes kept conservatives cautious. Meanwhile:
- Vivek Ramaswamy called Musk a “circus monkey” bought by China.
- Trump himself publicly mocked EVs and questioned their value when he told a rally in Clinton Township, Michigan, “You go all electric so you can drive for 15 minutes before you have to get a charge.” He also posted on “Truth” Social that President Joe Biden sold autoworkers “down the river with his ridiculous all Electric Car Hoax” that “was the idea of the Radical Left Fascists, Marxists, & Communists”
Musk’s free-market purity was still suspect. Until COVID.
2020-2021
COVID Lockdowns Flip the Script.
Of course, Trump didn’t take long to contradict himself. Trump has said numerous times publicly, “If you like me, I like you. If you don’t like me, I don’t like you”.
When Musk defied California lockdowns and called them “fascist,” right-wing media instantly changed their tone. Here was a billionaire standing up to government overreach.
The alignment began:
- Anti-mask rhetoric?
- Business-first policies?
- Platform for “free speech” via X/Twitter?
This was the inflection point. Musk wasn’t just tolerated-he became a symbol.
2022-2023
Ideological Takeover Begins
After moving to Texas, bashing “woke culture,” and buying Twitter to “restore free speech,” Musk fully entered the conservative bloodstream.
- He’s now a megadonor-over $290M in GOP donations in 2024
- He endorses JD Vance and lobbies for him as Trump’s VP pick
This isn’t support-this is orchestration. The GOP didn’t just accept Musk. They bowed down and surrendered to him.
2024-2025
DOGE: Department of Government Efficiency – The Trojan Horse of Cronyism
In a true Orwellian twist, Musk was tapped to lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)-tasked with trimming fat from federal agencies. The irony?
- He gutted FDA regulators reviewing Neuralink, his own company.
- He “found” $1.9B in unaccounted federal funds while still holding federal contracts at SpaceX and Tesla.
- He slashed jobs while lobbying for regulatory loopholes.
Traditional GOP policy? “Drain the swamp.”
Musk’s GOP? Privatize the swamp and hand it to your CEO buddies.
Conflict of Interest on Steroids
DOGE gave Musk access to biometric, financial, and health data pipelines-while he simultaneously runs:
- Tesla (biometric unlocks, in-car tracking)
- X (user behavior and sentiment)
- Neuralink (brain data)
- Starlink (internet backbone)
One man. All your data. No oversight.
And the GOP? They passed legislation shielding Musk from conflict-of-interest regulations source.
Musk’s Vision: Deregulate, Defund, and Dominate
Even Musk admits DOGE failed to meet its target of $2T in savings, barely cutting $160B. But that doesn’t matter.
He’s already reshaped the GOP into a authoritarian enterprise-a “Bro-ligarchy”.
What’s at Stake: Your Data, Your Finances, Your Government, Your Future
With Musk now steering GOP policy, the implications are chilling:
- Health data routed to Neuralink trials
- Financial behavior used for welfare eligibility
- Biometric IDs connected across Tesla/X/Starlink/DOGE
- Blacklists for political dissent
This is no longer about electric cars. It’s about turning the government into a platform-and Musk is root admin. This is the techno-monarchy and techo-authoritarian surveillance state espoused by members of the Bro-ligarchy Curtis Yarvin and Peter Thiel. Thiel’s “spy tech” company Palantir, has been awarded almost $1 billion in grants from the Trump administration.
Watch this from Carole Cadwalladr, a British investigative journalist best known for exposing the Facebook–Cambridge Analytica data scandal, which revealed misuse of Facebook user data to influence the Brexit vote and 2016 U.S. election.
The GOP Didn’t Evolve. Musk put them on Auto-pilot.
The Republican Party once stood for small government, free markets, and limited interference. Today, it’s a playground for billionaires who:
- Manipulate crypto markets
- Fire their own regulators
- Write policy in between memes
Want to save the Republic?
April 2025: Trump’s administration introduces the “Liberation Day” tariffs, imposing substantial duties on imports, including electric vehicles. Musk publicly criticizes the tariffs, warning they could lead to a U.S. recession in the latter half of 2025.
May 2025: Musk intensifies his criticism by targeting Peter Navarro, Trump’s trade advisor, questioning his qualifications and mocking his policies.
June 2025: The “One Big Beautiful Bill” Act is passed, phasing out electric vehicle tax credits. The Congressional Budget Office says the “One Big Beautiful Bill” will add $3 Trillion to the deficit.
CBO estimates that debt-service costs under H.R. 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, would total $551 billion over the 2025–2034 period—increasing the bill's cumulative effect on the deficit to $3.0 trillion. https://t.co/xTvwXvdfEQ
— U.S. CBO (@USCBO) June 5, 2025
Remember “States’ Rights”? It’s always been an excuse to use when needed. Never consistent. Even Thomas Massie, a GOP fool and foe, is sounding the alarm.
And Marjorie Taylor Greene, another top-notch, right-wing idiot from my adopted home state of Georgia, voted for the bill without reading it. Why? Because she doesn’t her own party is lying to everyone? Everyday.
Trump Weaponizing the Government
June 5, 2025: After Musk, who had been a significant supporter of Trump’s 2024 campaign, publicly opposes the bill, calling it a “disgusting abomination” and urging Congress to kill it.The feud escalates when Trump threatens to terminate government contracts and subsidies benefiting Musk’s companies, including Tesla and SpaceX.
Musk responds by calling for Trump’s impeachment and accusing him of ties to Jeffrey Epstein.
Tesla’s stock plummets by over 14%, wiping out approximately $150 billion in market value, as investors react to the public fallout between Musk and Trump. businessinsider.com
The breakdown in relations between Musk and Trump has significant implications for Tesla and Musk’s other ventures:
- Regulatory Challenges: The loss of political support may lead to increased regulatory scrutiny, potentially delaying projects like Tesla’s autonomous “robotaxi” service.
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