In A War Of Egos, The Loser Always Wins.
The fallout from the “bromance” between Trump and Elon Musk was just a matter of time before the final blowout. Recent reports about the implosion between the most powerful man and the richest man seems to be played out in the theatre of social media. There are no surprises there, for both have their personal media houses as their echo chambers. This is where they have conducted their dog whistles, gas lightings, maintained their grip on certain narratives for their respective followers and audiences. It is not surprising that this duel is taking place in the glare and in the court of public opinion. While both will try desperately for the hearts and minds of the public, and especially their individual followers on X and Truth Social, the potential collision, which would be loaded with laser guided egos is what looks very scary to many Republicans.
The backdrop of this public brawl that is metaphorically taking place in the playground of the Oval Office reportedly started with Elon Musk’s public thrashing of Trumps “big, beautiful bill” (BBB). Trump responded by expressing his disappointment and did not fail to ask for his pound of loyalty by saying “I’m very disappointed in Elon. I’ve helped Elon a lot”. Trump mentioned that “Elon’s upset because we took the EV mandate, which was a lot of money for electric vehicles and they’re having a hard time with electric vehicles and they want us to pay billions of dollars in subsidy”. If ever Elon needed Trump’s help, would there have been a between time? Ask the TESLA shareholders.
Despite initially dismissing Trump’s first salvo with “whatever” on X, Elon later declared that “without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate”. Elon concluded “Such ingratitude”, a reference to the hundreds of millions he spent on the last election. Here is Elon also asking for his pound of loyalty from Trump.
Elon is the richest man on the planet. However, he has witnessed the near collapse of his EV Empire, which seemed to coincide with Trump’s return to The White House. We all witnessed how Trump became the world’s most powerful car salesman when he transformed the White House lawn into the most prestigious car sales garage to promote Elon’s EVs. It is no secret that Elon’s association with Trump was significantly responsible for the change of fortune in his TESLA business worldwide.
So, when Trump says that “Elon’s upset because we took the EV mandate, which was a lot of money for electric vehicles and they’re having a hard time with electric vehicles and they want us to pay billions of dollars in subsidy”, you cannot help but notice a hint of understatement that “they are having a hard time with electric vehicles”. They are not having a hard time, they are witnessing the slow death of a brand that was doing well before 5th November 2024. Would Elon likely see such an understatement like one of those “et tu brute” moments?
On the other hand, Trump could see his efforts and the length to which he went to promote Elon’s EV vehicles as deserving of some loyalty points from Elon. Trumps efforts to change the fortunes of TESLA failed to move the needle and Elon will conveniently blame it all on Trump. Now you see why Elon would have expected some loyalty from Trump? This is beginning to feel like attending a friend’s family wake and they question why your eyes are red next day. If Elon sees his connection to Trump as the main reason for the seeming demise of his TESLA Empire, some might understand his anger for Trump’s reported refusal to “bail him out”. No wonder some see Trump’s “electric vehicles are having a hard time” as the understatement of the year. If only Elon had sought counsel from Rudy Giuliani before joining Trump’s train.
What we see here are two people who are ego- loaded. Their relationships with other people are largely based on transactional analysis. Both worship on the altar of capitalism and believe in the capitalist Bible, according to verse Quid Pro Quo. Trump and Elon need loyalty just like they need oxygen for their respiratory functions. The transactional symbiosis has now left both ego giants expecting some loyalty from the other. While it remains a question of who will blink first, it will not be far-fetched to insinuate that both seem to have “something on the other” or up their sleeve.
While Trump claims to have sacked Elon, and that Elon “went crazy” when he “asked him to leave” his White Rouse role, the suggestion that the government could sever ties with Elon’s companies, which have billions of dollars in federal contracts, seems to have sent the feud to another level. Elon reportedly responded by suggesting that Trump was implicated in the “Epstein files”, even though Trump had never been implicated in Epstein’s abuse of underage girls.
Interestingly, Trump did not appear surprised by Elon’s outburst. As if he was expecting Elon’s response, Trump said “I don’t mind Elon turning against me, but he should have done so months ago” Trump appears to say that he knew that this fallout would happen and was not surprised but rather ready for it. Does this sound reconciliatory from Trump? However, with Elon claiming to have been responsible for Trump’s victory, would there be further pressure for Elon to show how Trump beat the odds, proved the pollsters wrong and????? Won the election in any other way that we don’t already know? Elon has tremendous leverage with computer stuff, right?
Where does that leave the Democrats?
A lot of people and especially the hard core Democrat supporters have been disappointed with the lukewarm response or challenges to Trump’s authoritarian stance of governance this time round. Some believe that the Democrats have been sitting on their hands while Trump has been riding roughshod over the country on every democratic principle. Others see the response from Democrats as its way of saying to the public, “I told you so”. They believe that the public does not need a reminder of everything they campaigned on, and especially the threat of Project 25 that is rapidly being rolled out in piecemeal.
Others see the Democrats as going through a political bereavement process and that they deserve some respite and moment to themselves. It still feels like the Democrats are in a political trance or taking part in some hypnosis. Sometimes, it makes more sense for the public to experience the effects of Trump’s tariffs than to be told about them. Does the latest fallout between Trump and Elon give the Democrats a sense or feeling of Schadenfreude here? Apart from the money that Elon spent , would the Democrats want to know if there is anything, anything else that he might have done to prove that “without me, Trump would have lost the election?
The battle of the egos between the most powerful President and richest man is beginning to look like a blockbuster. The worry for the Republicans is the potential for these two massive egos to destroy everything in their path. They would be praying that both Trump and Elon dissolve their egos before it dissolves them. Republicans would also hope that both would take off the “E” and let it “GO”. Sadly, there is nothing that strengthens the ego more than the thought and belief of being right. Republicans would hope that both don’t believe that they are right. Don’t hold your breath, but grab your popcorn, a cool aid and take a front row seat. A blockbuster is coming to a cinema near you.
Eid Mubarak.
Abdulai Mansaray.
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