The 1600: Mutually Assured Destruction
Good morning,
🎶 Friday Listening: Taylor Swift - All Too Well (10 Minute Version). One of the greatest breakup songs ever written. Speaking of...
That escalated quickly, huh? I'd say our discussion yesterday about the cracks in the Musk-Trump relationship ended up being pretty prescient, despite those accusing me of trafficking in gossip and innuendo! Elon finally went full mask off just a couple hours after this newsletter hit your inbox, ripping into Trump directly over the course of about 40 posts on X. The trigger seems to have been Trump telling reporters he was "disappointed" in Musk's trashing of his marquee legislation. Musk started his tirade arguing that Trump would have lost the election if not for him (maybe), predicted the tariffs would cause a recession (more likely) and, as the coup de grace, accused the president of the United States of being in the Jeffrey Epstein files (which don't exist, at least not in the form that's been alleged). Remember that Cybertruck that exploded outside the Trump hotel in Vegas on New Year's Day? It was an omen.
Trump responded that Elon had "gone CRAZY" and threatened to pull his companies' government subsidies and contracts. All in all, at least so far, the POTUS has actually been the cooler head to prevail in this breakup. Whether that can last, we'll probably see today.
I've heard some theories that this was all staged as a way for Trump to wash his hands of Musk and Musk to get back to his business of selling electric cars to Democrats. I don't buy it. Elon is dead to the libs, that ship has sailed. And from everything I've heard out of DC, Trump was legitimately taken aback by his former "first buddy" going scorched earth. I think what's more likely is what we've been saying right here for months. You just cannot have two alpha males in the same place at the same time. It never works. And Musk had grown way too big for his britches during his brief tangle with the federal government.
I do think there's probably some kind of Mutually Assured Destruction doctrine at play that is going to lead to a detente, or rapprochement, out of necessity for both parties, maybe even as soon as today. These guys both still need each other. Musk needs Trump not to mess with Tesla or SpaceX. Tesla is where Musk's wealth is derived. The DOJ could easily cut its already struggling stock price in half with a well-timed investigation. SpaceX is where Musk sees his legacy. And given SpaceX is deeply entangled with the federal government, Trump could easily make Elon's life miserable by just dropping it as a federal contractor, or as Steve Bannon is calling for, actually seizing it. That would also be bad for America because SpaceX is one of our most innovative companies that is, literally single handedly, keeping our space program alive. Let's hope it doesn't get caught up in the crossfire.
But Musk also has something that is extremely valuable to both Trump and the MAGA project, and that is the X algorithm. Elon has made the platform formerly known as Twitter into an echo chamber for Trump-adjacent voices. If he did get Trump elected, it wasn't because of the $250M he dropped in Pennsylvania—it was because of the influence of X. One tweak of that algo to make it less Trump friendly, like it was a few years ago, and that would be a big hit to the White House's reach.
One certainty about when Donald Trump is president, it's never boring!
The Rundown
President Donald Trump is working to push his "big, beautiful bill" through the Senate in the face of resistance from some Senate Republicans and increasing criticism from Elon Musk. Some lawmakers have already raised serious concerns about the bill—more in the Senate than in the House, where the bill passed by just one vote—which has put its passage in doubt. Read more.
Also happening:
Trump-Harvard: President Donald Trump suffered a major legal setback in his dispute with Harvard University. U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs issued a two-page temporary restraining order instructing the DHS and the State Department to disregard a proclamation issued by the Trump administration the previous day banning international students at the university from entering the U.S. for six months. Read more.
Trump's travel ban: The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be co-hosted by the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, with most matches—including the final—taking place in American stadiums. However, hopes among Iranian fans in particular to attend and support their national team on U.S. soil are now in doubt following Trump's announcement of a new travel ban targeting 12 countries, including Iran. Read the story.
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Josh Hammer's latest book is 'Israel and Civilization: The Fate of the Jewish Nation and the Destiny of the West.' This article was produced in collaboration with Creators Syndicate. @josh_hammer
