Musk contributed almost $300 million to Donald Trump’s presidential campaign last fall, and while some might say it’s honorable that Trump has shown, at least in this instance, that influence isn’t for sale.
Republican strategist John Cardillo says maybe it should be, at least some of it.
Because that’s how the game is played.
Musk was named head of the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and was given access to all manner of records and information. He was able to pull back the layers and see the inner workings of government but at the end of the day was irked when the Big Beautiful Bill, the Trump-led initiative to install his America First Agenda, added to the U.S.’ $36 trillion deficit instead of taking from it.
The bill does not include tax credits for the purchase of electric vehicles, extended by the previous administration, something that directly impacts Musk, the owner and CEO of Tesla.
President Trump has claimed this week that is the motive behind Musk's sudden frustration with the bill.
When the dust settled, Musk, also the owner and CEO of Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) couldn’t even get his pick to lead NASA across the finish line.
Trump took that away over the weekend, withdrawing the nomination of tech billionaire Jared Isaacman, a Musk associate, to lead the U.S. space agency.
Trump had previously written a multi-paragraph social media post about the qualifications of Isaacman to lead NASA.
Isaacman had already been approved by the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee.
Sen. Tim Sheehy (R-Montana) defended Isaacman after Trump’s late-Saturday announcement which came just days after Musk’s planned departure from DOGE was announced.
“Why in the world couldn’t they give this guy his NASA pick? The guy got nothing,” Cardillo told show host Jenna Ellis.
If influence is a concern, what about Qatar?
As influence goes, it’s a very different look from last month when Trump accepted a Boeing 747-8 jet from the Middle East nation of Qatar.
Democrats blasted the deal as “the definition of corruption” and “flying grift.” Others expressed national security concerns.
Republicans had their conflict-of-interest concerns too, and Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) highlighted the potential for espionage and the surveillance risks associated with accepting the jet.
Then there’s Musk.
“He made a massive, massive donation, so that (Republicans) could take back the White House and control of Congress, and we win. Would it have killed them to give him something? Everybody is acting very naive and very idealistic and saying well Elon is wrong, the elites shouldn't have this kind of power in politics. Well, maybe not,” Cardillo said, “but they do.”
Like it or not, politics, at all levels, revolves around donors. People with means pick sides and make contributions from local school board races to the White House.
And elections aren’t won without them.
“You need them. It’s part of the game. You need them to win, you need them to even be competitive,” Cardillo said.
With those contributions come expectations, maybe small, maybe large, but always there.
“Nobody donates massive amounts of money unless there’s some benefit for them. That’s why there’s money in the political process,” Cardillo said. “Elon donated a ridiculously large amount of money and didn’t ask for much.”
Trump has mishandled the relationship in a way that will have extremely damaging long-term effects for Republicans. He could learn from Democrats on this one, Cardillo said.
Many in the GOP have complained of the influence of Democrats’ mega donor George Soros, who has funded the political campaigns of local district attorneys across the U.S.
Those prosecutors now represent more than 70 million Americans and have often faced criticism for their soft-on-crime approaches in various cities, according to the Foundation for Government Accountability.
“In my opinion, the GOP did what it does best and snatched defeat from the jaws of victory," Cardillo observed. "You had the golden goose. The Right finally had its George Soros, only with exponentially much deeper pockets, and in four-and-a-half months managed to destroy that relationship.”
Johnson: BBB not meant for DOGE cuts
House Speaker Mike Johnson this week defended the Big, Beautiful Bill, saying the DOGE cuts will be enacted – eventually – but the bill isn’t the vehicle because of how the sausage is made.
“There are two categories of federal spending,” Johnson pointed out. “One is mandatory spending, one is discretionary. The reconciliation package (deals) with the first category, not the latter. So, it was not possible — literally, under the rules of the Senate — for us to put DOGE cuts in large measure in the reconciliation package. That has to be a separate instrument.”
But Musk sees things in black and white, Cardillo said.
“Elon is a very math-and-science-minded guy who doesn't really infuse emotion into decisions. ‘Look, I just I fired all these people. There are no cuts, and they're going to reappropriate that money into massive social welfare programs in this bill.”
“He says, ‘I’m going to speak up,’ and when he spoke up, he was viciously attacked.”
