Billionaires, Autocrats, and the Meaning of Musk vs. Trump [View all]
BY TRYGVE OLSON
I’ve been in rooms with men like Donald Trump, and I’ve worked in countries run by men like him. The names and currencies may be different — rubles, forints, dollars, crypto — but the power games are the same.
This spat between Trump and Elon Musk? It’s not just an ego clash. It’s a warning sign. And if you’ve worked with opposition leaders under autocrats the way I have — in Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia — you learn to read those signs.
1. This Isn't About Musk. It's About Trump Testing Power
Trump doesn’t do “disagreements.” He does dominance. Always has. Always will. Whether it’s Jeff Sessions, Ron DeSantis, or Elon Musk, if you don’t submit, he turns on you. It’s not personal — it’s structural. Trump’s worldview is zero-sum. You’re either for him, or you’re the enemy.
Elon Musk, in this case, signaled he might support third-party candidates or even Democrats with his money. That’s not just inconvenient for Trump — that’s betrayal. And betrayal, in the autocrat’s playbook, must be punished.
https://www.brightamerica.org/p/billionaires-autocrats-and-the-meaning
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