How Musk Out-Maneuvered Trump -- The American Prospect

[erronis]

Musk got the only thing that he wanted. Does Trump realize it?

https://prospect.org/politics/how-musk-out-maneuvered-trump-government-funding-china/

How to play the simpleton.

Elon Musk blew up a near-complete bipartisan budget deal with an avalanche of tweets contending that it was too costly, luring Donald Trump into demanding that Republicans kill it. But Musk’s real reason—a story that David Dayen broke in the Prospect—was that the agreement included painstakingly negotiated limits on American tech investment in China. Had that provision passed, it would have been costly to Musk’s extensive Chinese Tesla operations and future AI plans.

Between Tuesday and Thursday, the budget deal collapsed. Trump, following Musk’s lead, threw in a new demand that the deal tackle the debt ceiling, always a politically tricky vote. But neither Democrats nor Republican fiscal hawks would give Trump that.

In the end, legislators of both parties wanted to get home for Christmas, and both houses overwhelmingly passed a simple “continuing resolution” keeping the government funded at roughly present levels through March, plus disaster relief and farm aid. Musk succeeded in stripping out the China provision.

...

There will be more conflicts between the goals of President Musk and those of President Trump. Some of the slash-and-burn budget cutting that Musk is proposing—Social Security, Medicare, economic development and small business aid—will enrage Republican legislators and governors, and threaten base Republican constituents, not to mention the deep differences over unfolding China policy.

[sop]

1. 'Democrat accuses Musk of tanking spending bill over China restrictions'

"The top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee accused Elon Musk of tanking a bipartisan spending bill because it included a provision that could limit his businesses’ ability to operate in China."

"In a Friday letter to congressional leaders, Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) claimed Musk derailed the deal that would have avoided a government shutdown 'in order to protect his wallet and the Chinese Communist Party at the expense of American workers, innovators and businesses.'"

"The spending agreement released Tuesday included a bipartisan provision to limit and screen U.S. investments in China, among dozens of other proposals attached to the 1,500-page bill."

"As the CEO and largest stockholder in Tesla, Musk has extensive business connections to China. The company operates a major manufacturing plant in Shanghai and has sought to build deeper connections with Chinese companies."

"DeLauro cited Tesla’s operations in China as a reason for Musk to derail a bill containing limits on investments in the country, and she cited potential issues with technologies such as self-driving cars and long-lasting batteries being made in China."

“'It is extremely alarming that House Republican leadership, at the urging of an unelected
billionaire, scrapped a bipartisan, bicameral negotiated funding deal that included this critical provision to protect American jobs and critical capabilities,' DeLauro wrote."

https://thehill.com/business/5051709-musk-delauro-spending-bill-china/

Musk succeeded in stripping out the China provision.

[RandomNumbers]

2. "Musk won and Trump was rolled"

Democrats had better get used to the idea that MUSK is running things, not Trump. I know we say it and joke about it here on DU. But we can see from this episode that it is real, and we also think we know that Trump is too demented and probably originally too stupid about world affairs (by choice), to really understand how Musk is playing him.

I hope Democratic Party strategists will start paying heed to this dynamic. This is how it will go for the next 4 years, or at least 2. And the only way we kill it in 2 years, is if the majority of the electorate also realizes how badly WE are getting rolled by Musk.

[jeffreyi]

3. Finally, something that sounds sensible.

[Celerity]

5. The American Prospect is one of the best magazines/sites out there, IMHO. I have posted them here on DU for years.

[Blue_Tires]

4. It's time for the media to openly ask who is running the country