For months, leftists have pushed the narrative that Elon Musk was the shadow president, the real power behind the curtain. “We didn’t vote for Elon Musk!” they cried on social media and in street protests, implying that his growing influence over public policy, whether through X, Tesla, SpaceX, or his brief stint heading the Department of Government Efficiency, was somehow undemocratic, dangerous, and unprecedented.
Well, now that Musk and President Donald Trump are locked in a very public, very messy war of words, that particular talking point has collapsed under its own weight.
This week, Musk and Trump went from political allies to billionaire ballistic enemies in a matter of hours, with attacks escalating over the so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” the sprawling piece of legislation that Trump backs and Musk opposes. Trump says Musk helped shape the bill. Musk says he never even saw it. Trump says Musk is just upset about EV subsidies being cut. Musk says the bill is a financial disaster that undermines all the work DOGE did to reduce government bloat.
And then it got personal — fast.
Trump took to X to suggest slashing all federal subsidies and contracts to Musk’s companies: “The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of dollars, is to terminate Elon’s Governmental Subsidies and Contracts.” A stinging rebuke from a former ally.
Musk, in turn, didn’t mince words. He accused Trump of lying about his departure from DOGE, called for his impeachment, and even claimed, without evidence, that Trump’s name is in the Epstein files and that this is why they haven’t been released.
This is not how shadow governments behave.
This is not how puppet masters treat their marionettes.
If Musk ever was running the White House, he’s certainly been fired in spectacular fashion. The idea that he was ever really in charge is now laughable.
The truth is this: Elon Musk is not above politics. He’s in them now, deep in the mud like everyone else. And when billionaires enter the political arena, they lose the illusion of being untouchable geniuses floating above the fray. Musk has gone from revered innovator to cable-news feud fodder, and from technocrat to Twitter brawler.
It’s also worth noting how quickly the Left has shifted its tone. Remember when Musk was the face of authoritarian techno-dystopia, supposedly controlling everything from speech to subsidies? Now that he’s taking a blowtorch to Trump on the very platform he owns, where are those same voices? Suddenly, silence — or even applause. The Left may embrace him again, and quickly.
Musk is learning the hard way that politics isn’t physics. It’s not a clean equation. It’s dirty, personal, and often irrational. And Trump — well, Trump is a master of the battlefield. He builds you up until you’re useful. Then, if you cross him, he can burn you to the ground. That’s not new.
What is new is Musk learning it the hard way.
So to all the critics who insisted Musk was secretly calling the shots: You got your answer. Elon Musk was never in control of the White House. But today, it looks like he’s on the outside, bloodied, tweeting, and very much not running anything.
Suzanne Downing is founder and editor of Must Read Alaska.
