Why Elon Musk is teaming up with Donald Trump?

[kentuck]

It is part of the Putin strategy.

If Trump is defeated, they will need someone to pick up the pieces of the MAGA movement and keep it alive. They believe Elon Musk is the person to do that.

We have to believe that they are both working for Putin in order to believe this premise. I happen to believe that they are both working for Putin.

Musk is the perfect person to lead the MAGA movement if Trump is defeated, in my opinion.

That is why he has signed on to the lies.

[cyclonefence]

1. Musk has no charisma

You have to give it to Trump, he knows how to work a crowd. Senile and nonsensical as his speeches are, crowds respond to him. Musk is just embarrassingly awkward. I don't think he's able to pick up the mantle--although Putin may believe he is.

[Wiz Imp]

16. I agree Musk has no charisma

But neither does Trump. I'll never understand people who think Trump is charismatic. Here is a list I found of 12 characteristics of charismatic people.

1. Self-awareness
2. Warmth
3. Competence
4. Relaxed and open body language
5. Socialize where they’re comfortable
6. Active listeners
7. Playful
8. Self-control
9. Humble
10. Maintains good eye contact
11. Share and spread praise
12. Remember people’s names

How many of those apply to Trump? Only a couple at most. On the other hand, he is the complete opposite of at least half of these (Self-aware, warm, competent, active listener, self-control, humble, share & spread praise). To me he is one of the least charismatic people I've ever seen. I'll never understand how anyone can listen and look at the guy and come across as anything other than disgusted.

[cyclonefence]

17. Well, don't call it charisma

But Trump has what it takes to be a cult leader, and Musk doesn't. The people who blindly follow Trump are not, imo, likely to transfer that blind allegiance (and in some cases, adoration) to a stiff techno-jerk like Musk--or anybody else I can think of. I believe that MAGA dies with Trump.

[Wiz Imp]

18. I'll agree with that

Despite his lack of charisma, he is every bit a cult leader. How that happened (what people see in him) is inexplicable to me. I also agree that the blind allegiance is unlikely to transfer over to another person (especially someone like Musk).

I think it will be really interesting to see what happens to the MAGA cult once Trump is gone. Those people aren't going away, and neither are they likely to change their way of thinking very quickly. But is there someone who can come in and lead them like Trump? I'm skeptical.

[Dennis Donovan]

2. We're in a new reality. The other side isn't just competing for the Presidency. They're a movement. They're here to stay

How many of them vs how many of us?

https://www.vote.org/am-i-registered-to-vote/

[D23MIURG23]

4. They are primarily driven by a cult of personality.

The ones who aren't Trump (like Kari Lake or Lauren Boebert) aren't doing as well with the general public - they don't seem to have whatever plot armor is protecting that dude. We won't know until it happens, but I doubt anyone will be able to drive the MAGA movement when Trump is gone.

[D23MIURG23]

3. He's been a defrauding investors for ages. The FBI really should be looking into that. n/t

[orthoclad]

5. Who needs Putin when

we have our own obscenely rich and powerful oligarchy?

Musk, Bezos, Zuckerthing, Gates, Leo...
Putin's just another one of the club. He was happy to copy the West and embrace capitalism.

[krawhitham]

6. Or

He took Saudi & Qatar funds to buy twitter with the understanding he would help trump win the election.
Polling is showing he could very well fail in that task and that is why he is saying crazier and crazier BS about Harris everyday. He's afraid if he fails to help trump win he'll be Khashoggied

[highplainsdem]

7. I don't believe Musk is working for Putin. Musk wants power for himself and will cooperate with

Putin when it's helpful.

There is a real threat to democracy from RW tech bros.

Journalist Gil Duran does a great job of covering this.

[keep_left]

10. Yep, they are obsessed with antidemocratic ideologies like Distributism, Neo-Monarchism...

...and Neo-Reaction. They have also made alliances with various other groups outside the tech-bro "culture", e.g. radtrad Catholics who tend to favor the bizarre ideology of Distributism. They apparently want a pie-in-the-sky agrarian pre-scientific society straight out of a Tolkien novel. Unfortunately, both the tech-bro and radtrad "cultures" are quite popular with young alt-right men.

https://democraticunderground.com/100219507545#post11

[gulliver]

14. Yep, Elon wants to buy the country on the cheap

Just tell a bunch of lies and back a candidate willing to be a puppet. Elon wants to be Putin more than he wants to help Putin. He's lost his mind. He wants to be among the puppet masters of Trump.

[Bev54]

15. Remember who financed Musk, mostly Saudi money but also Qatar and Russia.

He is owned by them all, they did not care about losing their money, it was all about his making twitter a right wing hell hole and limit the ability of the left to get their message out. He is playing with the big boys and someone like him (who seems to have zero self control) could get burned real easy. I hope I see the day.

[Polybius]

8. I would normally agree, but one small thing is in the way: the Constitution

Musk was born in South Africa.

[Walleye]

9. Leon would make the perfect power behind the throne if JD takes over in a couple of years after

[Blue Full Moon]

11. Musk wants tRump to do his bidding

Musk wants the Labor Relations Board removed so he can be a proper robber baron. He also would like some more taxpayers money for a new rocket the other one is so last year.

[Swede]

12. He's an oligarch trying to protect his money.

Happened in Nazi Germany, happening now in Russia. The oligarchs are flocking to Trump.

[WarGamer]

13. Do you actually want the answer?

First, they share philosophical standing on some issues important to Musk.

Second, Musk NEEDS a more cooperative FAA and FED regulatory softening for SpaceX.

Trump will literally give Musk free run to do whatever he wants with SpaceX.

Third... Contracts. NASA will be hollowed out as SpaceX becomes the de facto US Space Agency.
Xai, Tesla, Xitter... all will benefit with Trump at the helm.

Has nothing to do with MAGA, Russia or anything else.