Poor Elon Musk!

I don’t need to sound too paternalistic, however one factor ought to be mentioned: poor Elon Musk performed a recreation he doesn’t perceive. “That is what victory appears like,” he shouted with overexcitement at Mr. Trump’s inauguration occasion (it’s price watching the one-minute video). He had contributed greater than $250 million to the Trump 2024 marketing campaign. He carelessly promised that he would minimize $2 trillion, or one-third, from federal authorities expenditures, earlier than he minimize his slicing promise to $1 trillion, and he lastly achieved lower than 20% of this final aim. His conspiracy theorizing didn’t assist him, because it by no means does.

The acrimonious crash of the Trump-Musk relationship was predictable. (See “The Trump-Musk Relationship Ruptures in Actual Time,” Wall Avenue Journal, June 4, 2025; and “The Trump-Musk ‘Warfare of the Roses,’” June 5, 2025.) Neither of the 2 males is used to being bullied round. It isn’t the primary time that Trump has turned in opposition to a former affiliate. I think that Mr. Musk, like Mr. Trump, requires private loyalty and fealty of the medieval type, however neither can fathom decentralized energy. They each suppose when it comes to energy, not when it comes to liberty. And each are extra emotional than rational.

Musk is actually an ideal visionary and entrepreneur, however he doesn’t thoughts getting or requesting help from governments. As we’ve seen within the final election, he’s additionally a daring political entrepreneur, though his dangerous guess on Trump could hang-out him for a very long time.

Though he did oppose the deficit-happy “Huge Stunning Invoice” and (much less overtly) the commerce battle, Musk is actually not a libertarian or classical liberal. The classical liberal custom entertains an financial and philosophical idea of politics that excludes the Princess-Mathilde view—that the criterion of a superb authorities is that it serves my instant curiosity at the price of others. At greatest, Musk’s political ideology appears to be like like naïve democratism primarily based on a “will of the folks” that even attorneys dare not oppose. He most likely has by no means learn any structured libertarian argument.

A few of us could have hoped that Musk would finally uncover the liberal excellent of liberty. If any hope stays, it can probably be pissed off. At any fee, few folks of their fifties (even of their thirties, John Maynard Keynes believed) are in a position to severely contemplate new concepts. I doubt he’ll take the purple capsule. (See my submit “Elon Musk, Edward Luce, and Libertarianism,” June 5, 2023.)

The stronger the embrace of Leviathan, the extra politics turns into what Anthony de Jasay described: a recreation of coercively harming some folks as a way to favor helpful clientèles. Mr. Musk thought he had positioned himself on the appropriate aspect of the divide; he could now, poor man, have fallen on the opposite aspect. Trump wrote on his social media:

The best manner to save cash in our Finances, Billions and Billions of {Dollars}, is to terminate Elon’s Governmental Subsidies and Contracts.

Musk’s billions will assist him survive on the mistaken aspect of the adversary and discriminatory state, if solely Leviathan doesn’t severely get on his case. As Lavrentiy Beria, Stalin’s secret police chief, reportedly mentioned, “Present me the person and I’ll discover you the crime.” In line with the Wall Avenue Journal, Steve Bannon “urged that Musk’s immigration standing be investigated.” In line with The Economist, Bannon desires him to be stripped of American citizenship. Different threats have been voiced. Musk could find yourself wishing there are judges to dam the “will of the folks” in opposition to him.

If one chickens out between the king and the courtier, it can almost actually be the latter. Within the meantime, some chaotic surprises and reversals will not be unattainable. As Trump additionally has a lot to lose, it’s doable that the 2 warriors will bury the battle hatchet, no less than publicly or for a time. As William Riker famous, in democratic selections insufficiently constrained by establishments, “something can occur.”

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