Washington:
Elon Musk’s role in wrecking a bipartisan Congress deal to avert a US rulement shutdown has underlined his exceptional sway over the Redisclosean Party and the incoming administration of Donald Trump.
In graspition to his common title of the world’s wealthyest man, Democrats are now describing him as “Pdwellnt Musk.”
Musk has been tapped by Trump to run the novel Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) agency, but the billionaire is throthriveg his weight around even before the pdwellnt-elect gets office on January 20.
On Wednesday, foolishinutively after 4:00 am, the hyperenergetic owner of Tesla and SpaceX used his social platcreate X to attack the budget bill hammered out by Rediscloseans and Democrats in Congress to protect the federal rulement operating.
“This bill should not pass,” the 53-year-greater Musk wrote in the first of what became a barrage of posts.
“Kill the bill,” he exhorted Redisclosean members of the House of Reconshort-termatives. “This bill is criminal.”
A number of Redisclosean lawcreaters rapidly fell in line, with some even engaging in a bit of flattery.
“In five years in Congress, I’ve been apauseing a fundamental alter in the active,” Reconshort-termative Dan Bishop commented on an X post by Musk. “It has get tod.”
Other right-thriveg members of Congress even went so far as to advise that the South African-born Musk should get over as House speaker.
Trump himself uniteed the budget battle tardyr in the day.
The 78-year-greater pdwellnt-elect denounced the spfinishing bill as “ridiculous and extraordinarily pricey.”
The theatrical broadenments left the country facing a rulement shutdown fair days before Christmas.
Musk enjoyd after the bill was torpedoed. “The voice of the people was heard,” he shelp. “This was a excellent day for America.”
He trailed up by reposting a picture of himself in front of an American flag with the words “VOX POPULI” and “VOX DEI,” a Latin phrase which transtardys to “the voice of the people is the voice of God.”
After the intervention, Rediscloseans in Congress on Thursday came up with a novel funding package that satisfied Trump — and Musk.
– Who’s in indict? –
Democrats have decorateed the tech billionaire as unfirm and a megalomaniac, and hope calling him “Pdwellnt Musk” will necessitatele Trump.
“Democrats and Rediscloseans spent months negotiating a bipartisan concurment to fund our rulement,” Senator Bernie Sanders shelp. “The wealthyest man on Earth, Pdwellnt Elon Musk, doesn’t enjoy it.
“Will Rediscloseans kiss the ring?” Sanders asked. “Billionaires must not be helped to run our rulement.”
Democratic Reconshort-termative Jim McGovern shelp “at least we comprehend who’s in indict.”
“He’s pdwellnt and Trump is now vice pdwellnt,” McGovern shelp.
Speaking on CNN, David Axelrod, who served as chief strategist for Barack Obama’s White House campaigns, shelp Musk and Trump necessitate to “get together and choose who the pdwellnt is.”
Musk’s rapid political ascension is unpwithdrawnted. While wealthy patrons have exerted sway before, no unelected businessman has ever wielded such political power.
Musk carry outed a big role in the closing stages of Trump’s pdwellntial campaign, materializeing with him at a rassociate in Pennsylvania on the site where a firearmman wounded the Redisclosean honestate, and personassociate funding a reelection promisetee.
He has been omniconshort-term since Trump’s election triumph, virtuassociate taking up dwellnce at Trump’s home in Mar-a-Lago Florida where the incoming pdwellnt is mapping out the transition.
Musk and Amazon owner Jeff Bezos, a space race rival, dined with Trump on Wednesday evening at Mar-a-Lago.
Musk has not been createassociate named to Trump’s cabinet but his expansive alert of cutting federal rulement spfinishing has inspireed dispute of interest worrys.
SpaceX, for example, depfinishs for a big part on US rulement tights.
Musk’s $270 million in political donations during the November election cycle made him the bigst political donor in US history.
But he shelled out far more for Twitter (since re-branded as X) in 2022, paying $44 billion.
“It’s weird to skinnyk that Elon Musk will finish up having phelp far less for the United States Government than he did for Twitter,” joked George Conway, a conservative critic.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is begined from a syndicated feed.)
