'Musk was Trump's lightning rod', politics professor says as billionaire leaves DOGE

FRANCE 24 English

Visit our website: http://www.france24.com  Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FRANCE24.English  Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/France24_en

Transcript

00:00Some might have considered it a joke that someone of Musk's standing would be brought into such an important role in politics,

00:07but it has happened, and there have been things done, and people have been sacked, and jobs have been done away with.

00:13It has left a certain legacy.

00:15Let's bring in Todd Belt.

00:16Todd Belt is Professor and Director of the Graduate School of Political Management at George Washington University.

00:22Todd, thank you very much for being with us, and thank you for putting that screen behind you

00:26so I can read off that exactly which esteemed organizations represent.

00:31It's very helpful.

00:32Todd, it's always a pleasure to have you here because we appreciate your frank analysis.

00:35What will be Musk's legacy, do you think?

00:39Well, thanks for having me on.

00:40It's great to be with you again.

00:42I think Musk's legacy is tarnished.

00:44I think he didn't get anywhere close to what he said he was going to do for the country in terms of reducing spending,

00:51and as we heard in that interview, he was very upset with the bill that went to Congress

00:56and that upset Trump so much that he sent his legislative aides up to Capitol Hill

01:01to try to create a few more spending cuts, a separate bill, other than the big, beautiful one

01:07that would reduce a little bit of the spending, but it was just a drop in the bucket.

01:13Obviously, Musk was successful in his effort to support Donald Trump pumping $250 million into his campaign,

01:20but became very unsuccessful very quickly.

01:23He ran into the realities of government, that there are entrenched interests,

01:27that there are people who depend on these programs,

01:29and, oh, yeah, we have an independent judiciary that can strike down some of the things that you're trying to do.

01:35And then, finally, he ran into problems when he tried to get involved in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race

01:40where he dumped another $25 million in and came up empty-handed.

01:45So he's discovered that money can't buy everything.

01:48That's the sad reality he's come to.

01:50That's exactly right.

01:52And remember, he was giving out $1 million checks to voters in that Wisconsin race,

01:56and I think that really soured him on a lot of things.

01:59He said he's going to be moving away from politics for a while,

02:03that he's not going to be donating a bit, but I think that's how he feels now.

02:07I think this time next year, he'll be back in the game.

02:10This is a person who really likes to gamble.

02:12This is a person who takes big risks.

02:14And when it comes to politics, they always get drawn back in because there's so much to gain.

02:19Remember that Musk heads four huge companies that have lots of government contracts,

02:25Tesla, SpaceX, Starlink, and, you know, what was, I forget his other one,

02:30but a lot of things he needs to do with government.

02:34He's positioned himself well in terms of having good relationships with the Trump people who are there now.

02:39I think this probably was the best time for him to step away.

02:41Indeed, some might smell amongst all this a conflict of interest,

02:44but some might say that's just the way business is done,

02:47so you can pay your money and take your choice, I suppose, on that one.

02:52So, can I put this one to you?

02:54Alexander Dugin, who is described as Vladimir Putin's brain,

02:57is a far-right Russian philosopher, quite a controversial character, speaks his mind,

03:01and obviously we defend his right to do that.

03:04He's urging Elon Musk not to turn against Donald Trump.

03:07Do you think Dugin will get his wish?

03:09Do you think Trump will, you know, still have Musk's support in spite of a slight disillusionment he might be feeling right now?

03:17I think Trump is going to have Musk's support.

03:19I think it's going to be, you know, a little bit of a quiet support.

03:23Trump might call him up for some ideas on different things.

03:26But remember, Elon Musk was the lightning rod, and that was useful for Donald Trump while he was there,

03:32when he was doing things that were very unpopular.

03:34But a lot of that unpopularity spilled over onto Donald Trump.

03:37Remember, at his 100-day mark, his polls were very, very low.

03:41And, you know, as long as he's not making bad publicity, he can have the president's ear.

03:47So being out of the spotlight, I think, helps him in terms of what he wants to do with the president.

03:52I think that, obviously, with Donald Trump still running the federal bureaucracy

03:57and Elon Musk having so much interest in it, they're still going to remain friends, for better or worse.

04:03Indeed. Musk will be coining it as well.

04:05Trump, the least popular president ever at 100 days.

04:08Todd Belt, thank you for being with us here at France 24.

04:11We always appreciate your time.

04:12I always appreciate the measured analysis you bring.

04:15Very useful indeed.

04:16Todd Belt from the George Washington University Graduate School of Political Management.

04:21Thanks, Todd, as always.

04:23Thanks for having me on.

Category

Transcript

Recommended