President-elect Donald Trump’s staff has pushed again in opposition to claims that Elon Musk is wielding outsized affect inside the Republican Occasion after the tech billionaire performed a serious function in derailing a key spending invoice meant to avert a authorities shutdown.
Musk’s vocal opposition to the bipartisan spending proposal, spearheaded by Home Speaker Mike Johnson, created a ripple impact on Capitol Hill.
Early Wednesday, Musk denounced the invoice on his social media platform X, warning, “Cease the steal of your tax {dollars}!”
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Trump and Vance echo Musk, urge GOP to reject spending invoice
Shortly afterwards, Trump and JD Vance issued a press release mimicking Musk’s criticisms of the payments. They known as on Republicans to reject it, insisting that the nation’s indebtedness is unsustainable and declaring what they regard as a capitulation to Democrats.
On Thursday night, the Home rejected another Trump-backed “streamlined” spending deal. The obvious alignment between Musk’s stance and Trump’s subsequent place has fueled hypothesis about who holds actual sway over the GOP.
Karoline Leavitt, Trump’s incoming White Home press secretary, sought to make clear the state of affairs, advised Enterprise Insider, “As quickly as President Trump launched his official stance on the CR (persevering with decision), Republicans on Capitol Hill echoed his perspective.”
“President Trump is the chief of the Republican Occasion. Full cease.”
Democrats seized the second to focus on the perceived energy wrestle inside the GOP
Senator Bernie Sanders mocked Musk’s affect, writing on X: “Democrats and Republicans spent months negotiating a bipartisan settlement to fund our authorities. The richest man on Earth, President Elon Musk, doesn’t prefer it.”
Former Obama adviser David Axelrod joined the fray, quipping: “So will President-elect Musk be a part of the funds negotiations now?”
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Consultant Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., added: “It’s clear who’s in cost, and it’s not President-elect Donald Trump.”
Consultant Maxwell Alejandro Frost, D-Fla., remarked, “Shadow President Elon Musk spent all day railing in opposition to Republicans’ CR, succeeded in killing the invoice, after which Trump determined to comply with his lead.”
