Musk and Trump are stress-testing nearly every federal institution, but the courts are checking them left and right. Just this week the courts told DOGE they can’t access unredacted data at Social Security, take over the US Institute of Peace, or make more cuts to whatever is left of USAID. This has Elon making other moves but in some ways, he is treading down well-worn paths that haven’t been fruitful in the past.
While Trump has spent years railing against the courts, now Elon is echoing the same line—claiming we’re in the middle of a coup. Not from them, of course—from the judges who keep telling them "no." Now Elon is using his money to pry open other doors. He is like a spoiled kid mad at the parent who told him no. If judges are the “mom” holding firm, Congress is “dad” and Elon is turning on the charm. In response to the courts’ stonewalling this week, he sent a message by donating the maximum allowable amount to any congress member openly condemning the courts’ orders. Not willing to toe the line? Musk will fund a primary challenge to replace you with someone who will.
Elon is taking many different routes to support Trump. During the election, he put 20 million into the ironically named RBG PAC, whose sole purpose was to run ads trying to moderate Trump’s stance on abortion by making it appear as though his view aligned with the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg – laughable, considering his SCOTUS picks helped overturn Roe v. Wade. He is running ads in DC touting his and Trump’s accomplishments thus far, and reportedly is working to donate another 100 million to Trump’s political operation in continued efforts to cement his power.
Another area where Elon is weighing in is his effort to stop a program called 340B, which requires drug companies to give discounts to hospitals that care for uninsured and low-income patients. The group Elon is funding that is backing the ads, called Building America, is targeting local Republicans, claiming the money is used in transgender care. Why? The Republicans named in the ads have no idea.
Elon is also in Texas, donating to the Texans for Lawsuit Reform, a group that focuses on making it harder to sue businesses. I imagine this will be very useful when he finally makes good on his promise to move his companies out of California and into Texas.
White House senior adviser Elon Musk, shown last week on the South
Lawn. Photo: Samuel Corum/Getty Images
He is also donating to support the Republican candidate who would replace a retiring liberal judge on the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Tesla is currently suing the state over its law banning car manufacturers from running car dealerships and, wouldn’t you know, the candidate, Brad Schimel, refuses to say if he will recuse himself if the case makes it to him, should he win a place on the court.
Elon is also taking his show international by endorsing far right candidates in Argentina, Germany, the UK, and Canada. The results have been mixed to say the least. Javier Milei of Argentina won his election. Germany’s AfD got a bump, but not the win, and the other parties are now refusing to form a government with them. In the UK, they are working to limit Musk’s ability to donate to the far right Reform UK to hedge his influence there. In Canada, he has no hope. Thanks to all the annexation talk, anything Pro-Trump is going to shit, literally. The conservatives there have had to change their tune to being very anti-Trump, and there is a petition by the citizens to revoke Musk’s citizenship. Even in the US, Elon’s reputation has been taking a nosedive. He may have inspired Robert Downing Jr’s Iron Man character in the Marvel movies once upon a time, but now, his Tesla dealerships are getting targeted for property damage, Nazi symbols, and the sales are tanking.
Now, let's take a step back. How much does money really matter? In 2024, the Dems spent 500 million more than the Republicans in the presidential race and still lost. Same as in 2016. Dems have outraised Republicans in every presidential race since 2004.
An awkwardly revealing study was done on the impact of Citizens United. On a state level, 23 states had their bans on campaign finance lifted, while for the other 27 states, it was business as usual. Those 27 states provided a sort of control for researchers to measure the effects.
The results were not what most expect. The 23 states that had the ban on campaign finance lifted ended up with more incumbents being outvoted, even though incumbents were more likely to benefit from extra donations. This didn’t just hurt Dems! Both sides were more likely to have their incumbents booted. Why? Those 23 states also saw more political activity from groups that traditionally sat out. The ban added more players to the game. Legislatures also became less polarized. It's like both sides have rich people!
Destiny
The biggest impact from Citizens United was on economic activity. More money means more ads, more consultants, and more seasonal hiring. We have even seen our friendly neighborhood Omniliberal throw some money into the game. Election season has turned into an economic stimulus. (Note: This data only goes up to 2016. Sure would be nice to see an update.)
The Dems are flailing, and honestly? So is everyone else. The courts are our firewall protecting us from complete meltdown, but they are just buying us some time. They can’t fix the problem. And money isn’t the answer– it’s a tool, and here, it’s just doing what it always does, which is make more of what we already have. And the fire it’s feeding is getting hot.
Elon is lobbing bombs across state lines and the world, stress testing every system, probing for the weak spots. The irony? He is trying to burn the systems that protect him too. The same systems that allow him to pour billions into our elections are the same ones that keep the pitchforks from his door– including the Tesla dealerships (well, usually, but this may be the exception that proves the rule).
If Elon breaks the government too much, he might find himself in a world that can’t protect him either. When you set the house on fire, you don’t get to choose which room burns, and try as he might, this is the only house we’ve got. Let’s be real—Mars isn’t taking guests.
