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Trump Dictatorship and All Things Politics


Elon Musk’s bureaucratic coup is underway.

Elon Musk is not the president, but it does appear that he—a foreign-born, unelected billionaire who was not confirmed by Congress—is exercising profound influence over the federal government of the United States, seizing control of information, payments systems, and personnel management. It is nothing short of an administrative coup.

As the head of an improvised team within the Trump administration with completely ambiguous power (the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, in reference to a meme about a Shiba Inu), Musk has managed quite a lot in the two weeks since Inauguration Day. He has barged into at least one government building and made plans to end leases or sell some of them (three leases have been terminated so far, according to Stephen Ehikian, the General Services Administration’s acting administrator). He has called in employees from Tesla and the Boring Company to oversee broad workforce cuts, including at the Office of Personnel Management (one of Musk’s appointed advisers, according to Wired, is just 21 years old, while another graduated from high school last year). During this time, OPM staffers, presumably affiliated with DOGE, reportedly set up an “on-premise” email server that may be vulnerable to hacking and able to collect data on government employees—one that a lawsuit brought by two federal workers argues violates the E-Government Act of 2002 (there has not yet been a response to the complaint). Musk’s people have also reportedly gained access to the Treasury’s payments system—used to disburse more than $5 trillion to Americans each year (a national-security risk, according to Senator Ron Wyden, a democrat from Oregon)—as well as computer systems that contain the personal data of millions of civil servants. (They subsequently locked some senior employees out of those systems, according to Reuters.) Musk did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Over the weekend, the Trump administration put two senior staffers at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) on administrative leave—staffers who, according to CNN, had tried to thwart Musk’s staff’s attempts to access sensitive and classified information. Musk posted on X yesterday that “USAID is a criminal organization. Time for it to die.” USAID staffers were barred from entering the unit’s headquarters today.

This is called “flooding the zone.” Taken in aggregate, these actions are overwhelming. But Musk’s political project with DOGE is actually quite straightforward: The world’s richest man appears to be indiscriminately dismantling the government with an eye toward consolidating power and punishing his political enemies.

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He did not receive a single vote. He did not get confirmed. He does not receive a government paycheck.

The world’s richest man has declared war on the federal government and, in a matter of days, has moved to slash its size and reach, while gaining access to some of its most sensitive secrets. He has shaped the public discourse by wielding the powerful social-media site he controls and has threatened to use his fortune to bankroll electoral challenges to anyone who opposes him.

Elon Musk’s influence appears unchecked, triggering cries of alarm from those who worry about conflicts of interest, security clearances, and a broad, ill-defined mandate. But the Republican-controlled Congress has shown no desire so far to rein Musk in. There has never been a private citizen like him.

“I think Elon is doing a good job. He’s a big cost-cutter,” Donald Trump told reporters last night after stepping off Air Force One, upon returning to Washington from Palm Beach. “Sometimes we won’t agree with it, and we’ll not go where he wants to go. But I think he’s doing a great job. He’s a smart guy. Very smart. And he’s very much into cutting the budget of our federal budget.”

Musk’s assault on the government unfolded rapidly in recent days, as he used his role as the head of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to slash spending. His stated goal: cut $500 billion in annual spending. DOGE has limited powers. It is not an actual government agency—one can be created only by an act of Congress. Musk’s task force was set up through a presidential executive order. And Congress has the authority to set spending.

Read: Elon Musk has appointed himself king of the world

His own role remains murky: A White House official told me today that Musk is working for Trump as a “special government employee,” formalizing a position in the administration but allowing him to sidestep federal disclosure rules. Musk is not being paid, the official said.


View: https://x.com/Kerrybear100/status/1886448897477779925
 
Be careful what you cheer for. The US is 25% of their economy. We would barely feel a trade war with Canada but it would put them into economic depression, and they know it.

The biggest problem with Biden has been his soft wishy-washing foreign policy. He stood at a podium and straight-up said that a minor incursion by Russia into Ukraine would only be met with possible sanctions. Russia invaded and now a couple hundred thousand people are dead. Biden removed the Houthi from the list of terrorist organization and released some of the more biting aspects to how we handled Iran. Iranian-proxy group HAMAS then made a massive attack on Israel, and now tens of thousands are dead.

The adults are back in charge. There isn't the vague "don't" that Biden thought was threatening. Trump says he's going to grab you by the head, put it in a dirty vice bolted to a table, and crank until your brains are on his shoes. Then at the first opportunity, he grabs Columbia's President, figuratively puts his head in a dirty vice, and begins to twist the handle. If you think Trump won't stick your head in a vice, he'll show you that he'll put the head of our best friends in the vice.

I think the message has been delivered, don't you?

Insecurity and TDS on full display.

It’s gross and sad.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

He did not receive a single vote. He did not get confirmed. He does not receive a government paycheck.

The world’s richest man has declared war on the federal government and, in a matter of days, has moved to slash its size and reach, while gaining access to some of its most sensitive secrets. He has shaped the public discourse by wielding the powerful social-media site he controls and has threatened to use his fortune to bankroll electoral challenges to anyone who opposes him.

Elon Musk’s influence appears unchecked, triggering cries of alarm from those who worry about conflicts of interest, security clearances, and a broad, ill-defined mandate. But the Republican-controlled Congress has shown no desire so far to rein Musk in. There has never been a private citizen like him.

“I think Elon is doing a good job. He’s a big cost-cutter,” Donald Trump told reporters last night after stepping off Air Force One, upon returning to Washington from Palm Beach. “Sometimes we won’t agree with it, and we’ll not go where he wants to go. But I think he’s doing a great job. He’s a smart guy. Very smart. And he’s very much into cutting the budget of our federal budget.”

Musk’s assault on the government unfolded rapidly in recent days, as he used his role as the head of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to slash spending. His stated goal: cut $500 billion in annual spending. DOGE has limited powers. It is not an actual government agency—one can be created only by an act of Congress. Musk’s task force was set up through a presidential executive order. And Congress has the authority to set spending.

Read: Elon Musk has appointed himself king of the world

His own role remains murky: A White House official told me today that Musk is working for Trump as a “special government employee,” formalizing a position in the administration but allowing him to sidestep federal disclosure rules. Musk is not being paid, the official said.


View: https://x.com/Kerrybear100/status/1886448897477779925


View: https://x.com/robkroese/status/1886081811400339800?t=HtWoVsCmv0q67qE7TW3tGg&s=19
 

Kroeber sounds like the worst kind of American citizen imaginable. Imagine if everyone wanted to get rid of PBS(much better programming, who doesn’t like Masterpiece Theater and Masterpiece Mystery?) Who wouldn’t appreciate Frontline? Ditch the EPA. Oh, that's right climate change is a hoax. Ditch the UN, FDA, CDC. Sounds like he hates a lot of things that are positives. Sounds like he hates the United States and is happy Musk is helping to create a dictatorship.. One wonders what YOU hate about PBS? Too high brow for you? Nova and Nature are bad for you? What exactly is wrong with you anyway?
 
Receipts, chuds. Awkward!

Mexico:


Biden got this done without threatening our friends.

“April, 2021: According to White House press secretary Jen Psaki, Mexico will maintain a deployment of about 10,000 troops, while Guatemala has surged 1,500 police and military personnel to its southern border and Honduras deployed 7,000 police and military to its border “to disperse a large contingent of migrants” there. Guatemala will also set up 12 checkpoints along the migratory route through the country.”

Canada:

December, 2024:


Your world is made of ********.


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This is 1000% what Trump winning a second election feels like to me.

I can't believe people wanted this. Well, I don't think they wanted this but they allowed their self to fall for a known liars lies... again.

Shame on the U.S. voter. Shame.
The great thing about trump is that you still get to worry about all the normal worries of life but then he gives you a bunch of extra stuff to worry about. Its fun!
 
I still cant get over the fact we are letting a guy who lies about being an elite video game player (among other things which are much more serious) completely **** our government.
He isn't there for his Diablo IV skills. We are letting a guy who cut 80% of Twitter staff and figured out a way for the service to run perfectly well without the bloat offer up advice for how to do that same thing to federal bureaucracy.
 
The great thing about trump is that you still get to worry about all the normal worries of life but then he gives you a bunch of extra stuff to worry about. Its fun!
Boo hoo. I have to worry about a more efficient government and my tax dollars not being wasted on every politicians pet project. I have to worry about the US being strong again. I have to worry about building a powerful armed forces again. Waaaaaaaaa
 
Sounds like he hates the United States and is happy Musk is helping to create a dictatorship.
It is fun to see you twist yourself into seeing the exact opposite of reality.

Democracy is at its core about electing leaders. Trump won election. He not only won the EC but he also won the popular vote. Democracy functioned and chose Trump as the leader of the Executive Branch. All of those agencies in the above list are in the Executive Branch, the branch Trump won the election to lead. To take away the power to cut those Executive Branch agencies is to say the US President is only a figurehead and our democracy is a sham, yet that seems to be exactly what you want. You want the destruction of democracy in the US. You want to rightfully elected leader of the Executive Branch to not have the power he was elected to wield.
 
I still cant get over the fact we are letting a guy who lies about being an elite video game player (among other things which are much more serious) completely **** our government.
Even crazier is that it appears no one is challenging this at all. Did all the democrats lose their nerve, are they that afraid of Trump to just let his cronies run rough-shod over the entire federal government with nary a challenge? What the **** is going on?
 
Even crazier is that it appears no one is challenging this at all. Did all the democrats lose their nerve, are they that afraid of Trump to just let his cronies run rough-shod over the entire federal government with nary a challenge? What the **** is going on?
Sadly I think most democratic politicians probably like what he is doing, or just view it as letting them do so much terrible **** they wont even have to try to get elected next time and they will run even further to the right and just market themselves as being less evil republicans.
 
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