Break It Down!

Last week I posted while at sea. That was a piece of cake, compared to today, when I’m posting after a day that for me, has already lasted way past 24 hours. I know what you’re thinking. There are only 24 hours in a day. You’re right, of course. But I began my Tuesday in a city six time zones east of here, at 5:00 a.m., which translates to 11:00 p.m. Monday here in Charlotte. After 2 flights covering 10 hours in the air, and nearly 4,500 miles, and another 10 hours in 3 airports, I returned home to reclaim my life: retrieving mail from a neighbor, getting in 90-minutes on a recumbent bike, taking a shower, unpacking. You know, normal non-vacation life things. Now for the blog. 

It was tempting to reprise an old post. But after nearly two weeks abroad, there was just too much happening not to explore a contemporary topic. I chose one to speak on, ever so briefly. 

The peculiar, and often tricky thing about bosom buddies is, while the individual parties may grow apart, and their interests diverge…life goes on. Often this re-centering of personal priorities goes unnoticed. However, when the two principals are the current President of the United States, who, at least according to The Atlantic, has said, “I run the country and the world,” and the world’s richest man, who until recently, served as a special government employee, there are going to be ripples, and the world, the portion of it occupied by the United States anyway, is going to notice.

During last year’s Presidential Campaign, Elon Musk aligned himself with Donald Trump and the Right. Some would argue, more with Trump than the Right. Over the course of the campaign, multiple media sources reported that Musk infused Republican campaigns with more than $270 million. If you’re checking to see if the math is mathing, that equates to a $million or more for each Electoral College vote. 

As a result of Musk’s windfall investment, he instantly became a favorite of conservatives, after having been considered just another wealthy, but kooky liberal, Simultaneously, he was widely castigated by liberals. Some even attacked Tesla showrooms and service centers, as well as individual owners and their vehicles.

After his warm generosity, and key assistance in helping Trump regain the White House, Mr. Trump rewarded him by making him the Co-Leader of the Department of Governmental Efficiency (DOGE), along with Vivek Ramaswamy. According to numerous news reports, Ramaswamy clashed with Musk, and soon quit. He is said to be considering a run for Ohio Governor.

Musk spent a controversial stint as a special government employee. He gutted the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and substantially hampered Health and Human Services, the Social Security Administration, the Department of Education, and the General Services Administration…news reports say. He promised to cut $2 trillion dollars from the budget. More recent estimates from DOGE put the number around $150 billion, which some experts say is still improbable. If you’re still tracking the math, that’s a fraction of what was promised.

After a chaotic experience in government, plus an unsustainable pushback at Tesla, both internal and external, Musk announced he would be exiting his role as a special employee; a position that current rules limit to 130 days within any 365-day period. Of course, there is a perception of a “rules are made to be broken” governing philosophy in the Trump administration, based on Trump and Company frequently challenging the rules, almost no matter what.

Yesterday, in the face of his departure, and Trump’s lobbying Congress to pass his Big, Beautiful Bill, which the House has done, with the slimmest of margins, Musk pointedly pushed back, challenging the efficacy of the bill. He had previously expressed disappointment about the bill but escalated considerably the tone and tenor of his disagreement, when he wrote on X, “I’m sorry, but I just can’t take it anymore. This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination. Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it.”

He added in a subsequent post: “Congress is making America bankrupt.”

In yet another post, he said: “In November next year, we fire all politicians who betrayed the American people.”

There’s more that could be said, but after having only “airplane sleep” in the last 27 hours, I’m calling it a wrap. ““A Disgusting Abomination,” Oh My!”

I’m done; holla back!

Read my blog anytime.

A new post is published each Wednesday.

For more detailed information on a variety of aspects related to this post, consult the link below.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/03/politics/elon-musk-trump-republican-bill

“A Disgusting Abomination,” Oh My!