Washington:
Elon Musk’s role in wrecking a bipartisan deal in Congress to prevent a US government shutdown has underscored his extraordinary influence over the Republican Party and Donald Trump’s new administration.
In addition to his usual title of the world’s richest man, Democrats now describe him as “President Musk.”
Musk has been tapped by Trump to lead the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) agency, but the billionaire is throwing his weight around even before the newly elected president takes office on January 20.
Shortly after 4 a.m. on Wednesday, the hyperactive owner of Tesla and SpaceX used his social platform X to attack the budget bill passed by Republicans and Democrats in Congress to keep the federal government running.
“This bill should not be passed,” Musk, 53, wrote in the first of what became a barrage of messages.
“Kill the bill,” he urged Republican members of the House of Representatives. “This bill is criminal.”
A number of Republican lawmakers quickly joined in, and some even allowed themselves to be cajoled a little.
“Over the past five years in Congress, I have been waiting for a fundamental change in dynamics,” Rep. Dan Bishop responded to an X-post from Musk. “It has arrived.”
Other right-wing members of Congress even went so far as to suggest that the South African-born Musk should take over the chairmanship of the House of Representatives.
Trump himself joined the budget battle later in the day.
The 78-year-old president-elect denounced the spending bill as “ridiculous and extremely expensive.”
The dramatic developments forced the country to face a government shutdown just days before Christmas.
Musk was happy when the bill was torpedoed. “The voice of the people was heard,” he said. “This was a good day for America.”
He then reposted a photo of himself in front of an American flag with the words “VOX POPULI” and “VOX DEI,” a Latin phrase that translates to “the voice of the people is the voice of God.”
After the intervention, Republicans in Congress presented a new financing package on Thursday that satisfied Trump – and Musk.
– Who’s in charge? –
Democrats have portrayed the tech billionaire as unstable and megalomaniac, hoping that calling him “President Musk” will galvanize Trump.
“Democrats and Republicans have spent months negotiating a bipartisan deal to fund our government,” said Senator Bernie Sanders. “The richest man on earth, President Elon Musk, doesn’t like it.
“Will Republicans Kiss the Ring?” Sanders asked. “Billionaires should not run our government.”
Democratic Rep. Jim McGovern said, “At least we know who’s in charge.”
“He’s president and Trump is now vice president,” McGovern said.
David Axelrod, chief strategist for Barack Obama’s White House campaigns, said on CNN that Musk and Trump “need to get together and decide who is the president.”
Musk’s rapid political rise is unprecedented. Although wealthy patrons have exerted influence before, no unelected businessman has ever wielded such political power.
Musk played a major role in the closing stages of Trump’s presidential campaign. He appeared with him at a rally in Pennsylvania at the site where a gunman wounded the Republican candidate, and personally funded a re-election committee.
Since Trump’s election victory, he has been ubiquitous and has virtually taken up residence in Trump’s home in Mar-a-Lago, Florida, where the new president is charting the transition.
Musk and Amazon owner Jeff Bezos, a rival in the space race, dined with Trump at Mar-a-Lago on Wednesday evening.
Musk has not been formally appointed to Trump’s Cabinet, but his sweeping mandate to cut federal government spending has raised concerns about conflicts of interest.
SpaceX, for example, is largely dependent on US government contracts.
Musk’s $270 million in political donations during the November election cycle made him the largest political donor in American history.
But he paid much more for Twitter (since renamed X) in 2022, paying $44 billion.
“It’s strange to think that Elon Musk will ultimately have paid a lot less for the US government than he did for Twitter,” joked George Conway, a conservative critic.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)