Has anyone seen Elon Musk these days? What’s he been up to? Because Musk (really, his money) was part of the reason Donald Trump won the presidency. In the run up to the election, the South African billionaire donated close to $300 million to the Republican presidential campaign.
For this, it seems like Trump gave Musk carte blanche to recreate the U.S. Government in his (extremely scary) image. But now...? We aren’t hearing much about Musk as we head into the summer. So, let’s look into it.
When President Trump took office, one of the first things he did was create the Department of Governmental Efficiency (DOGE) and placed Musk in charge of it. With this newfound power, Musk went on a rampage.
He terminated over 100,000 government employees by either forcing them to take buyouts or outright firing them. He is responsible for ending contracts for programs related to climate change, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, environmental protection, international aid, and science research.
Musk was so active and visible in the President’s first few months in office, that it inspired TIME to put him behind the Resolute Desk on the cover of one of its magazines.
Just a few months ago, it seemed like Musk was everywhere. He gave a huge speech when Trump was inaugurated. (And did what still feels like a Nazi salute.) He had his kid playing in the Oval Office while talking to the media. He gave interview after interview to the media. But now he is nowhere to be seen.
It seems like my man just dropped off the face of the Earth. No one seems to know what happened to him. But it is clear what’s going on.
In Wisconsin, Justice Ann Walsh Bradley, a long-time judge on the state’s Supreme Court, retired opening the door for an election. Susan Crawford, a liberal, faced off against Brad Schimel, a conservative.
This would have not been a notable race, but Musk took an interest in the race because he wanted to turn this liberal leaning court into a conservative one. So he sunk millions into the campaign for the conservative thinking he could influence the outcome of the election.
He did not. Well, on second thought, he did. Just not the way Musk wanted.
Voters found Musk’s attempt to buy the election distasteful. Those who opposed him mounted a campaign entitled “People Vs. Musk” and defeated the candidate he supported by 10 percentage points. If you think Kamala Harris got mollywhopped by Trump, then this would be the political equivalent of what Homey the Clown used to do on In Living Color.
After that, Musk got quiet. He was not talking to the media anymore. He was not trying to influence elections like he once was. Now, seven weeks after that embarrassing defeat, he has announced that he will step away from political spending. Saying, “I’ve done enough.”
Good riddance. Dude can kick rocks. One less white nationalist leaning billionaire to worry about.