{"id":2385144,"date":"2024-12-31T17:30:01","date_gmt":"2024-12-31T22:30:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/musks-influence-over-trump-a-double-edged-sword-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-12-31T17:33:21","modified_gmt":"2024-12-31T22:33:21","slug":"musks-influence-over-trump-a-double-edged-sword-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/musks-influence-over-trump-a-double-edged-sword-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Musk&#8217;s influence over Trump a &#8216;double-edged sword&#8217;- Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fmusks-influence-over-trump-a-double-edged-sword-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2385144&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article discusses Elon Musk&#8217;s increasing influence over President-elect \u2064Donald Trump and the implications for the Republican Party. Following \u200bMusk&#8217;s entry into Trump&#8217;s inner \u200bcircle, he has been able to sway\u200b Trump\u200c on various \u2064policies, \u2064notably advocating for high-tech\u2063 worker visas, which has put him at odds with \u2064some of Trump\u2019s hardcore supporters who prefer harder immigration stances.Critics, including\u2063 right-wing \u200bactivists,\u2062 have expressed frustration over Musk&#8217;s\u200b political intrusion, branding \u2064him \u200ca &#8220;Stage \u20635 clinger.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Musk\u2019s prominent presence and messaging capabilities, especially \u2064through social media platforms like\u200c X, have raised concerns among GOP lawmakers who fear his\u200b simplistic\u200b views might mislead constituents about the complexities of governance. As Musk engages in political discourse, even around sensitive topics such as\u2063 government funding \u2064and immigration, there are growing tensions among lawmakers regarding who is\u200b directing the agenda. \u2062 <\/p>\n<p>The\u200b article highlights\u2064 the\u2064 uneasy dynamic between Musk&#8217;s influence and the traditional GOP leadership, with lawmakers expressing a desire \u2063for Musk \u200dto\u200b limit his public commentary on \u2062matters outside his immediate expertise. As Congress prepares to tackle essential funding and legislative priorities, there are worries that \u2062Musk&#8217;s outspoken nature could create chaos rather then <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">facilitate coherent policy\u2062 discussions<\/a>.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Musk influence over Trump a &lsquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-education-nominee-ignored-sexual-assault-allegations-lawsuit-charges\/\" title=\"Biden Education Nominee Ignored Sexual Assault Allegations, Lawsuit Charges\">double-edged sword<\/a>&rsquo; for GOP<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1924702\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Since joining <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"President-elect Donald Trump\">Donald Trump<\/a>&lsquo;s inner circle, Elon Musk has increasingly flexed his political muscle, aggravating some of the president-elect&rsquo;s most ardent supporters and increasing concerns over the high-profile billionaire&rsquo;s growing influence.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>The latest example came earlier this week after Trump <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/immigration\/3271657\/trump-backs-musk-and-ramaswamy-on-h-1b-visas\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">sided<\/a> with Musk over visas for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/how-the-u-s-could-win-the-chips-war-against-china\/\" title=\"How the U.S. Could Win the Chips War Against China\">high-tech workers<\/a>, going <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/3271227\/trump-base-splits-musk-ramaswamy-support-foreign-worker-visas\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"against\">against<\/a> many in the MAGA base, including right-wing activist Laura Loomer, who wants to see the president-elect take a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-base-splits-over-musk-and-ramaswamys-support-for-foreign-worker-visas-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Trump base splits over Musk and Ramaswamy\u2019s support for foreign worker visas - Washington Examiner\">hard-line immigration policy<\/a> with mass deportation of illegal immigrants.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Musk, who owns X, has been able to spread his message easily on the platform, underscoring the power he commands as an unelected &ldquo;first buddy&rdquo; of the incoming president.&nbsp;Earlier this month, Musk came out ahead of Trump and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/3264644\/trump-honeymoon-threatened-musk-gop-infighting-spending-bill\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">tanked<\/a> a bipartisan funding bill in the House, which pushed the government close to a shutdown and sent lawmakers scrambling to negotiate a new bill.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Elon comes with a double-edged sword. Incredibly powerful platform and incredibly powerful messaging tool. But at the same time, the simplicity that he portrays government and legislation &mdash; that&rsquo;s just not how it works in the real world,&rdquo; said Casey Burgat, the director of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bidenomics-why-biden-gets-poor-ratings-on-the-economy-despite-improving-numbers\/\" title=\"Bidenomics: Despite economic progress, Biden&#039;s low ratings persist.\">legislative affairs program<\/a> at George Washington University&rsquo;s Graduate School of Political Management.<\/p>\n<p>Some of Trump&rsquo;s most vocal supporters are beginning to get annoyed with Musk&rsquo;s growing influence with the president-elect. Loomer slammed Musk, calling him a &ldquo;Stage 5 clinger,&rdquo; on Steve Bannon&rsquo;s <em>War Room<\/em>&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/americasvoice.news\/video\/pT8000nO64MDibc\/?related=playlist\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">podcast<\/a>&nbsp;on Monday.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I think that a lot of people have a hard time speaking truth to power, and a lot of people are afraid of taking on billionaires,&rdquo; Loomer said. &ldquo;He is the richest man in the world, and so he kind of orbits President Trump.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;As I called him the other day, I said he&rsquo;s a Stage 5 clinger,&rdquo; she continued.<\/p>\n<p>Bannon also had harsh words for Musk, telling him he should &ldquo;sit in the back and study&rdquo; or &ldquo;we&rsquo;re going to rip your face off.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Don&rsquo;t come up and go to the pulpit in your first week here and start lecturing people about the way things are going to be. If you&rsquo;re going to do that, we are going to rip your face off,&rdquo; Bannon warned.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Musk, who Trump tapped to serve as the co-chairman of the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/opinion\/3244667\/the-promise-of-doge\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Department of Government Efficiency<\/a>, which was created to slash the size of federal operations, could also find himself at odds with GOP lawmakers if he continues to undermine negotiations. When Congress returns, it must strike a deal to fund the government after it&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/3267959\/senate-vote-spending-deal-shutdown\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">punted<\/a>&nbsp;this month on a full year of government funding. Lawmakers also&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/3263824\/republicans-roadmap-enact-trump-agenda-next-congress\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">plan to draft&nbsp;<\/a>a border and reconciliation bill when they return.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Musk&rsquo;s overly simplistic message is going to frustrate lawmakers because they&rsquo;re going to hear from constituents or they&rsquo;re going to see on social media that Elon said, &lsquo;All we have to do is this,&rsquo; so constituents are going to wonder, &lsquo;Why aren&rsquo;t you doing that?&rsquo;&rdquo; Burgat said.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I think there&rsquo;s going to be a gap in between that messaging and then what is actually being done on Capitol Hill, knowing that it&rsquo;s not as simple as that all of the time,&rdquo; he added.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">President-elect Donald Trump speaks with Elon Musk as Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), center, listens before attending a viewing of the launch of the sixth test flight of the SpaceX Starship rocket on Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024, in Boca Chica, Texas. (Brandon Bell\/Pool via AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The resentment is already palpable among lawmakers and their staff, with some questioning who is running the show.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve already started to see a problem where it looks like Musk is calling the shots like what we last saw &hellip; with government funding,&rdquo; a GOP Senate aide said <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/3271227\/trump-base-splits-musk-ramaswamy-support-foreign-worker-visas\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">last week<\/a>, speaking on the condition of anonymity in an effort to reflect candidly on the situation.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We need [Musk] to stay out of the conversations that aren&rsquo;t in his lane on social media &mdash; whether that be on immigration policy, leadership races, spending bills, the debt limit,&rdquo; the person said. &ldquo;This is the recipe for chaos, and I know all of us would prefer that these conversations stay between him and the administration instead of the public square. We have a Republican trifecta, and we have a huge opportunity to get our priorities accomplished, but I think we&rsquo;d like to do so without social media squabbles.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Musk has already waded into the looming race for the House speakership, first <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1873782439895847142\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">posting his agreement<\/a> with Trump to support Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) on Monday. However, minutes later, the Tesla CEO acknowledged Rep. Thomas Massie&rsquo;s (R-KY) concerns about Johnson&rsquo;s leadership.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">I respect and support President Trump, but his endorsement of Mike Johnson is going to work out about as well as his endorsement of Speaker Paul Ryan. We&rsquo;ve seen Johnson partner with the democrats to send money to Ukraine, authorize spying on Americans, and blow the budget. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/6Y7GAkcBzJ\">pic.twitter.com\/6Y7GAkcBzJ<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RepThomasMassie\/status\/1873776475264213174?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">December 30, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>    <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I respect and support President Trump, but his endorsement of Mike Johnson is going to work out about as well as his endorsement of Speaker Paul Ryan,&rdquo; Massie <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/RepThomasMassie?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1873796216649376161%7Ctwgr%5E3de241db7ece7894e872665c6ce21babf4e7d2a0%7Ctwcon%5Es2_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thedailybeast.com%2Fmusk-waffles-on-trumps-decision-to-back-johnson-for-speaker%2F&amp;mx=2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">wrote<\/a>. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve seen Johnson partner with the democrats to send money to Ukraine, authorize spying on Americans, and blow the budget.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Musk <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1873796216649376161\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">replied<\/a>: &ldquo;You might be right, but let&rsquo;s see how it goes.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The billionaire Tesla CEO has been using one of the cottages available for rent at Trump&rsquo;s property at Mar-a-Lago, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/12\/30\/us\/politics\/elon-musk-trump-mar-a-lago.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">reporting<\/a> from the<em> New York Times<\/em>, giving Musk easy access to the incoming president. In the final months of the election, Musk spent more than a quarter of a billion dollars to help elect Trump, and he has become one of his most trusted advisers, sitting in on phone calls with foreign leaders.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Musk&rsquo;s close-knit relationship with the incoming president has led Democrats <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/3265286\/democrats-pile-president-musk-spending-bill-fight\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">to suggest <\/a>the billionaire is actually a &ldquo;shadow president,&rdquo; leading Trump to address the idea at an event earlier this month.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s not going to be president, that I can tell you,&rdquo; Trump said. &ldquo;You know why he can&rsquo;t be [president]? He wasn&rsquo;t born in this country.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The honeymoon period between Trump and Musk may be coming to an end after the president-elect has been &ldquo;annoyed&rdquo; with the SpaceX owner, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mediaite.com\/trump\/trump-is-annoyed-insiders-say-shadow-president-elon-musk-starting-to-irritate-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">reporting<\/a> from <em>Mediaite<\/em>. Hogan Gidley, Trump&rsquo;s former White House deputy press secretary, disputed those reports during an appearance on Fox News on Monday.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Oh, look, it&rsquo;s obvious that Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy, and others have good relationships with Donald Trump,&rdquo; Gidley pushed back. &ldquo;The media like to stir things up and try and create rifts where there aren&rsquo;t any rifts.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Donald Trump has tasked Elon Musk with a big job, and that&rsquo;s finding a lot of the fraud, waste, and abuse in the federal government. We think he can absolutely accomplish that,&rdquo; he added.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Despite his involvement with the campaign and the transition, Musk does not have a formal role in the incoming administration beyond overseeing a nongovernmental agency. Whether the two will remain as close once Trump is sworn in on Jan. 20 is unclear, as the president-elect isn&rsquo;t afraid to cut ties with those who undermine him.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;ll see how long this alliance lasts. Because if we know anything about these two folks, that they can be best friends as long as they want, but only so long as they agree with each other, then they&rsquo;re all too willing to part ways,&rdquo; Burgat said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1924702\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1924702\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Musk&#8217;s sway over Trump poses risks for the GOP<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2657,"featured_media":2385145,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Trump-and-Elon-scaled-1024x683.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[6219,4250,3634],"class_list":["post-2385144","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-influence","tag-musk","tag-trump"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Trump-and-Elon-scaled-1024x683.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2385144","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2657"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2385144"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2385144\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2385148,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2385144\/revisions\/2385148"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2385145"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2385144"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2385144"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2385144"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}