this post was submitted on 03 Feb 2025
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Summary

The White House confirmed that Elon Musk is working as a "special government employee" under Trump, granting him significant authority to cut federal spending.

Musk has a government email, office space, and access to sensitive Treasury systems. His team abruptly shut down USAID headquarters on Monday.

Musk is consolidating unchecked power, raising legal and ethical concerns, particularly given his federal contracts.

Musk is unpaid and may not be required to disclose financial interests.

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[–] hperrin 1 points 17 minutes ago

Trump hires immigrant on welfare.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

No no, not a coup, a special government operation )))))l

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 hour ago

As Jon Stewart said "it has been done within the confines of our legal system, therefore it's not fascist"

[–] [email protected] 1 points 34 minutes ago

I heard the second amendment was made for special situations

[–] [email protected] 20 points 7 hours ago

Nothing will meaningfully improve until the rich fear for their lives

[–] [email protected] 25 points 9 hours ago

Like... Like a super special employee? An S.S.?

[–] [email protected] 32 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

“Elon can’t do and won’t do anything without our approval,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Monday.

Any bets on how long it will be until Elon does something so unpopular that there's blowback on Trump and it becomes "Elon acted on this alone and I had nothing to do with it."

[–] [email protected] 18 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

I insist on only calling him President Musk because I know when he takes enough attention and credit from Trump, Trump will get mad and tell Elon to fuck off.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

It will be glorious if it blows back so hard that Musk ends up in prison.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 hours ago

We can only hope. This morning, I saw multiple news articles with “President Musk” in the title. I suspect it’s intentional for that reason. But at minimum, I hope it’s starting.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 12 hours ago

It's legal because I said so

[–] [email protected] 40 points 18 hours ago (3 children)

So is there no conflict of interest with the companies he runs getting federal contracts? Don't politicians need to put their companies into some type of trust where they can't run it and make decisions that would be in their favour? I mean I know it doesn't work like that with stick trading (cough cough Pelosi).

[–] [email protected] 5 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

Company he runs? You really think he has time to run 5 companies while jerking off on twitter and now is spending his time jerking off in the treasury. The man just does what ever he feels. None of it is remotely called “work” he’s basically a walking jerk off

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 hour ago

It's still a massive conflict of interest.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 14 hours ago* (last edited 14 hours ago)

I brought up the conflict of interest to a trump coworker and he deadass said, "I get the conflict of interest, but I just don't care." The mask is fully off.

Edit: not that I'm surprised, just depressed and somewhat bewildered

[–] [email protected] 14 points 17 hours ago

Trump did away with the trust thing. And they let him because it wasn't a law, it was just something that was understood to be done. No talk of him doing it this time either.

[–] [email protected] 138 points 23 hours ago* (last edited 23 hours ago) (3 children)
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[–] [email protected] 80 points 22 hours ago (2 children)

Does that mean his communications will be subject to FOIA?

[–] [email protected] 60 points 22 hours ago (3 children)

Fat chance. I read he brought in his own server and connected it to the network at the OMB to spam emails to federal employees. That seems highly illegal.

[–] [email protected] 27 points 17 hours ago

Gosh, I remember a quaint time in the olden times when having your OWN EMAIL SERVER was something worthy of being lined up against a wall and shot for.

Guess that only applies to Democratic candidates for President named Hillary.

Also, and it bears repeating - I guess this would have been jUsTaSbAd under Kamala, because something something neoliberal argle bargle status quo genocide....

[–] [email protected] 44 points 21 hours ago

Legality is just words on a piece of paper if nobody is going to enforce it.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

I tend to agree, but we should at least try. Pull every lever of governance we have for as long as we have it.

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[–] [email protected] 17 points 19 hours ago

Doubt it. I bet they'll try to classify any of his communications as presidential advice, which would make them privileged communications not subject to foia

[–] [email protected] 71 points 23 hours ago

He failed background check.

[–] [email protected] 51 points 22 hours ago (1 children)

The richest man on the planet who once joked about ending world hunger is cutting federal spending of the richest and most powerful nation on the planet. Let that sink in for a moment.

[–] [email protected] 39 points 22 hours ago (1 children)

And they were in an awful hurry to kill USAID.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 17 hours ago

That's probably just a trial run. They are floating the idea of killing the Department of Education now.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 17 hours ago

He's special, alright.

[–] Randomgal 26 points 20 hours ago

But he's autistic guys! We're all misunderstanding, there is no Nazi coup going on.

[–] [email protected] 53 points 23 hours ago* (last edited 22 hours ago) (5 children)

Not good enough.

Just because Trump declares him special doesn't mean he is, or that he should have special privileges, anymore than his moronic cabinet picks can start moving their shit into their offices before being confirmed by the Senate.

[–] [email protected] 31 points 23 hours ago (5 children)

And being special doesn't excuse him from being a nazi.

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[–] [email protected] 23 points 20 hours ago

Elon is special. Not in a good way though.

[–] [email protected] 24 points 22 hours ago (1 children)
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[–] [email protected] 21 points 23 hours ago (1 children)

I have to admit, president musk was not on my bingo card.

[–] [email protected] 21 points 22 hours ago

It's been on my Bingo card since I realized that he basically bankrolled Trump's campaign by himself. He set up a PAC just to win the election.

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