GOP strategists are "secretly panicking" that tech billionaire Elon Musk is leading President Donald Trump down a path to electoral ruin, Ellie Quinlan Houghtaling wrote in an analysis for The New Republic published on Monday.
Polling has shown that even a lot of voters who like Trump are souring on Musk as he uses his Department of Government Efficiency initiative to force sweeping and often extralegal cuts to the civil service and vital government programs.
Many in MAGA "are not keen to see the world’s richest man make cuts to agencies and programs that they rely on, sparking concerns that Musk’s entrenchment in Trump’s agenda could cost conservatives in midterm elections," wrote Houghtaling. Indeed, "GOP strategist Alex Conant told The Hill Friday that there’ll be 'political costs' to empowering Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency if Republican voters don’t hear about the 'benefits' of DOGE — and soon."
“If DOGE actually breaks things that people care about and rely on, there’s gonna be political costs to that,” warned Conant. Republican adviser Doug Heye agreed, saying that as things are currently headed, Musk's interference could lead to “real job losses” in the economy beyond even just the government workers being fired: “That kind of slow burn, I think, could have an impact.”
One of the biggest warning signs is the New York Times report on pro-Trump wrestling fans who were in attendance as Trump and Musk attended a championship event in Philadelphia over the weekend. Many of them were not happy about Musk, with one woman from Montana saying his constant appearances make Trump “look like he’s kissing a-- to get money.”
Musk's interference is not the only liability for Trump; the president's aggressive push for escalating tariffs and trade wars are similarly provoking economic instability and the risk of other countries turning away from U.S. markets.
