It’s barely been two weeks into the second Trump presidency, and even though there’s already talk of annexing foreign states and overstepping constitutional rights, one thing remains most worrisome — the influence of Tim Walz has taken to the Musk-owned social media platform X to call Musk out on his antics.
On literally the first day President Trump returned to office for his final term — that couldn’t end soon enough, honestly — Elon Musk was already doing salutes that looked Jesse Eisenberg once suggested tech titans should.
Musk’s next major move was using his DOGE department as a tool to flaunt his power. Normally, his political expertise is limited to agreeing with random right-wing conspiracy theories that lack evidence and vowing to overhaul actual, essential government agencies to address those fantasies. Such was the case when Michael Flynn claimed without evidence that a faith-based charity providing legal advice to migrants with government grants was a money-laundering scheme. Musk vowed to fix the situation on X and accused government officials of approving fraudulent payments. According to Wired, that’s when Musk reportedly gained full istrative access to the U.S. Treasury’s critical payment system.
Musk’s meddling didn’t stop there. His next target was USAID. According to his increasingly deranged posts on X, USAID is a criminal organization that needs to “die.” After a string of threatening posts about the vital humanitarian agency, Musk followed through, shutting it down and alleging that it was pushing “anti-American” causes that were too left-leaning for his tastes.
Former USAID Samantha Power stopped by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert to set the record straight. She explained the agency’s crucial role in providing aid that not only benefits non-U.S. citizens but also helps U.S. citizens by improving the nation’s reputation and preventing the spread of diseases like bird flu and Ebola. Unfortunately, Power noted that this development benefits China and Russia, who will now likely fill the void left by the U.S. in the Global South — and it’s anyone’s guess what they plan to do with that increased influence.
Tim Walz spoke for everyone when he said (official or unofficial) President Musk is terrible. There’s really nothing to add to that.
The man needs to be stopped. Fortunately, federal employee unions like the American Federation of Government Employees have already filed lawsuits against the Treasury for granting Musk’s DOGE unlawful access to sensitive data. Additionally, dissolving USAID requires Congressional approval, and some of Congress are already sounding the alarm about the dangerous precedent of a non-elected individual dismantling a government agency unilaterally.
Elon Musk is undisciplined and clearly believes he’s unstoppable. His closeness to President Trump underscores the need for everyone to stay vigilant and challenge every reckless decision they attempt before it fully spirals out of control.
Published: Feb 5, 2025 12:15 pm