‘Something is up’: Ex-GOP operative alarmed as shady Trump deal points to Ukraine blackout

Former Republican strategist Tim Miller says several recent developments, taken together, suggest closer coordination among President Trump, Elon Musk and Vladimir Putin heading into the midterms.

He stressed he isn’t alleging a plot or speculating beyond what he sees — but that the timing of everything is suspicious.

On a podcast for The Bulwark, Miller laid out the items that worry him. Trump has resumed posting heavily on X, not just his own Truth Social platform, which Miller sees as a sign Trump and Musk have reconciled. Musk, who had said he was stepping back, is again the biggest Republican donor, giving $276 million since July, including $158 million to the Senate Leadership Fund. Trump is also pushing a Russian diesel deal that Miller describes as illegal, even though, as Miller puts it, Trump signed legislation targeting buyers of Russian energy.

At the same time, Ukraine’s military lost critical access to a military version of Starlink. Miller cites the New York Times and the Guardian as reporting that the loss came abruptly, seemingly alongside a Russian ballistic missile strike, leading analysts to suspect pressure from Washington. A blackout then hit about 600,000 people in Kyiv. Miller argues this left Ukrainian civilians at the mercy of Trump and Musk while Trump struck a deal with Putin.

“Something is up,” Miller said, adding that cooperation has grown across economic, political and military areas.

He also criticized Musk-funded ads that address viewers by name, calling them bizarre but warning that the same targeting tools could be used for voter suppression, and noted tech executives courting Trump. Miller acknowledged he isn’t sure the effort will work, saying the Trump-Musk team may not have the same effect as in 2024.