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Welcome to The Logoff: Is the Trump-Musk partnership over? It’s difficult — however after right now, it’s trying extra like sure.
What simply occurred? President Donald Trump has pinned his legislative hopes on one “massive, stunning invoice,” which handed the Home final month. Right now, Elon Musk took goal on the invoice as “large, outrageous, pork-filled…a disgusting abomination” that will “massively improve” the funds deficit.
Does it matter what Musk thinks? Perhaps not as a lot because it as soon as did. It is a transitional second for Musk, who’s on his approach out after the official finish of his time as a authorities worker final week. Trump, in a farewell press convention, downplayed the departure, saying, “Elon’s actually not leaving. He’s going to be forwards and backwards.”
In non-public, Trump has reportedly expressed some skepticism about Musk, asking whether or not efforts by the Division of Authorities Effectivity have been “all bullshit.” Regardless of that, reporting has to this point prompt that the Trump-Musk relationship stays typically amicable — however Musk’s new broadside in opposition to Trump’s invoice could also be an indication of issues fraying.
What did Musk really accomplish? In some methods, comparatively little — as my colleague Andrew Prokop has reported, Musk and DOGE didn’t get anyplace near cuts on the promised scale. On the similar time, nevertheless, Musk had finished a horrifying quantity of injury — his decimation of US international assist alone might have already got triggered a whole bunch of hundreds of deaths, by some estimates, and can proceed to trigger much more.
What’s going to Musk do now? Allegedly, return to specializing in his lengthy listing of corporations, Tesla and SpaceX chief amongst them, and spend much less time on politics. Musk additionally mentioned in Could that he would do “lots much less” political spending going ahead. On the very least, his feedback Tuesday recommend he’s not all the way in which finished with politics, although it stays to be seen how influential he might be.
And with that, it’s time to sign off…
We’re returning to a Logoff basic right now, with my colleague Patrick Reis’s favourite livestream from a bald eagle’s nest. The nest, dwelling to bald eagles Jackie and Shadow, is positioned in Huge Bear Valley, California. I hope it’s a peaceable second on your night, and we’ll see you again right here tomorrow.
