Elon Musk buying his way into politics

Elon Musk buying his way into politics

Episode Transcript

(00:01):
Hey everybody. Welcome back to the Elon Musk
Podcast. This is a show where we discuss
the critical crossroads that shape SpaceX, Tesla X, The
Boring Company, and Neurolink. I'm your host Will Walden.
Elon Musk floated the idea of launching a new political party
last week, openly distancing himself from Donald Trump after

(00:24):
Congress passed Trump's major spending package.
The Musk, currently the wealthiest person in the world,
openly questioned the effectiveness of America's two
party system, suggesting it may no longer represent most voters.
But how realistic is Musk's proposal to reshape US politics?

(00:44):
And can it genuinely alter the political balance in Washington?
It's happened before. Think about Ross Perot.
How did that work out now? Musk made headlines by publicly
supporting Senator Rand Paul's criticism of Trump's recently
approved big, not so beautiful bill.
Paul, a Republican senator from Kentucky, described the

(01:05):
legislation as fiscally irresponsible, saying it would
sharply increase the national debt.
Musk responded with strong agreement on social media,
adding a 100% emoji to Paul's comments.
Now, the Congressional Budget Office, CBO, A nonpartisan
federal agency, estimated the bill will raise U.S. debt by
approximately $3.4 trillion / 10years.

(01:30):
This edition will expand the national debt, currently at
$36.2 trillion, significantly further.
Musk, who previously themed the bill a debt slavery bill, has
consistently argued that ballooning federal debt weakened
competitiveness globally, especially within technology and
advanced manufacturing sectors. Musk's recent public

(01:51):
disagreements with Trump have come despite Musk's prominent
financial backing during Trump's2024 potential re election
campaign, and the tension between the two increased due to
Musk's objection over cuts in incentives for EVs and
provisions that Musk argued weredirectly harmful to innovations
of his own company, Tesla. Now Trump dismissed Musk's

(02:14):
protests, accusing him of being personally disgruntled after
losing influence within the OvalOffice.
Now President Trump responded sharply to Musk's criticism,
calling Musk irrational and suggesting he had become
difficult after a mandate forcing EV adoption was removed.
Now Trump stated clearly on TrueSocial that Musk had acted

(02:36):
irrashly because his lobbying for EV incentives was not
successful. Trump added further that Musk's
financial support was unnecessary despite the sizable
contributions Musk made during Trump's campaign.
And in response, Musk openly questioned the viability of the
existing two party structure andpresented it on our alternative

(02:57):
political path. He proposed the American Party,
or the America Party, which is designed specifically to target
key political races. Rather than attempting broad
national efforts immediately, Musk detailed a tactical
strategy focusing on securing just two or three Senate seats
and a handful, approximately 8 to 10 of House seats.

(03:21):
This targeted approach, Musk said, could wield significant
influence by shifting control oncrucial legislative decisions.
So far, Musk has not specifically named any targeted
candidates or races, nor has he provided a concrete timeline or
funding strategy. Musk also has not confirmed
whether he himself would actively campaign or simply

(03:44):
utilize his wealth and platform to back candidates.
However, Musk has repeatedly stressed his dissatisfaction
with current political processesand insists on necessity of a
party that directly reflects A broader centrist majority.
Now, Musk confidently asserted his political importance,
claiming openly on X that Trump's presidential victory

(04:07):
depended directly on Elon Musk'ssupport in his money.
Musk argued that without his backing, Democrats would have
won control of the House and held a narrow Senate Majority.
In an assertive comment directedtoward Republican strategist,
Musk added that Trump's influence would expire in
approximately 3 years, whereas his own impact would endure for

(04:30):
decades now. These statements have unsettled
Republican political strategists, who relied
significantly on Musk's influential support to assemble
the successful coalition that secured Trump's victory in 2024.
Now, Musk's apparent decision topublicly distance himself from
Trump threatens the cohesion of this group just as preparations

(04:52):
begin for the critical 2026 midterms.
Many Republicans had hoped to continue relying on Musk's high
profile endorsements and donations, though now, when?
Musk's alignment with Senator Rand Paul, who is known for
strict fiscal conservative views, presents an interesting
potential partnership. Paul has consistently opposed

(05:15):
excessive government spending and openly criticized Trump's
spending plans. The senator statement that the
administration prioritizes shortterm politicking over long term
sustainability provided Musk with a clear platform to further
express and clarify his own political positions.
The White House has previously criticized the CBO estimates as

(05:36):
politically motivated and inaccurate, claiming instead
that spending will translate into stronger national economic
performance, although specific economic projections and
detailed analysis supporting this view have not yet been
fully disclosed to the public. There's no information out there
yet now. Investor reaction to Musk's
public political comments was very swift.

(05:59):
Tesla stock fell noticeably following the public feud.
Analysts voiced concern that Musk's intensifying political
involvement could distract from his duties as CEO and negatively
impact Tesla's strategic direction.
The Musk has continued to speak publicly, however, indicating he
has no intention of backing awayfrom political discourse.

(06:21):
Now, he posted a poll on X asking millions of his followers
directly if they wanted a new political independence from
Democrats and Republicans. The poll quickly received
millions of responses, indicating broad public interest
and raising further questions about Musk's next political
moves. However, we don't know if that

(06:42):
post was boded and if all of those people were from the
United States. It's just broad across all of X,
So it's not a pinpoint poll. So it kind of doesn't mean
anything in the context of all of this.
Could be people from across the globe.
Musk has not yet detailed specific operational plans or

(07:04):
formally announced any official steps toward creating the
American Party. Basically what Elon Musk did
with that poll was to show influence.
He thinks showing that he has millions of people supporting
him for his political party willbolster the public behind him.
And as we know, people like to follow other people, especially

(07:27):
Elon Musk, the most powerful manin America probably other than
the president as far as a as a regular citizen goes.
So if you can show that there's millions of people driving this
new party, and he can show that these people are legitimately
from the United States, then he may have something here.

(07:48):
Ultimately, though, Musk's recent actions signaled and
explicit departure from supporting Trump in his
policies. He's on his own now.
He's going to do his own party. His suggestion of his new
political party, which targets crucial congressional seats,
indicates he's contemplating serious involvement in American
politics beyond mere social media debates.

(08:10):
And the emergence of the American party remains
hypothetical. But Musk has made clear his
willingness to influence electoral outcomes significantly
in upcoming cycles. If Elon Musk can't be president
because he can't due to him not being born here, then he's going
to try to influence politics in any way he can.

(08:33):
He's going to buy politics, basically.
What do you think of this? If you have comments on whatever
podcast platform you're on rightnow, let me know, because do you
think Elon Musk is right doing this?
Do you think he's right for making another political party
basically by like buying politics?
That's what he's doing. He's trying to buy power, and if

(08:54):
he buys power in politics, I mean, it happens behind closed
doors, but he's doing it in front of everybody's face.
Let me know what you think in the comments on your podcast
platform. Hey, thank you so much for
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(09:15):
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