“Trump vs. Musk: HVAD skete der?”

Det skriver Jens Mogensen fra Psst om her

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USA’s præsident, Donald Trump, og tech-milliardæren Elon Musk er havnet i en mildt sagt ophedet konflikt. Lige nu er slagmarken de sociale medier. Musk har primært udtrykt sin kritik via det sociale medie X, mens Trump har svaret tilbage gennem sin egen platform, Truth Social.

Verdens mest magtfulde mand og verdens rigeste mand var indtil for ganske nyligt nære samarbejdspartnere. Lige nu ligner deres forhold mest en åben krig.

Ordkrigen, der for alvor tog fart torsdag aften og fortsatte natten over dansk tid, har tiltrukket global opmærksomhed. Medier over hele verden er i ‘breaking-mode’, og herhjemme er der på DR, TV 2 og andre ligefrem liveblogs om de seneste udviklinger. Og her er hvad som helst ‘godt nok’ til at komme med. Vi læser kommentarer fra Demokrater, Republikanere, politiske analytikere, seriøst er blandet med hamrende useriøst, og det samlede overblik er allerede veget for den næste ‘sensationelle’ kommentar fra en eller anden, som vi aldrig har hørt om før.

Psst!s nyhedsbrev er originalt og personligt indhold direkte til din mail – hver uge. Vi har brug for dig! Du finder alle detaljerne her

Alene renterne vil overstige USA’s forsvarsbudget

Elon Musk støttede helhjertet Donald Trump under valgkampen i 2024 og ledede indtil 30. maj i år Trump-administrationens Departement for Regeringseffektivitet (DOGE).

Konflikten drejer sig (tilsyneladende) især om en omfattende lovpakke, som Trump kalder sin “big, beautiful Bill” (Det store, smukke lovforslag, red.).

Lovforslaget (som er en gigantisk lovpakke med alle mulige lovforslag blandet i den ene pakke, red.), der blandt meget andet forlænger skattelettelser fra Trumps første præsidentperiode, har fået skarp kritik fra Musk, som tirsdag erklærede, at han “simpelthen ikke kunne holde det ud længere” og kaldte lovpakken for “en afskyelig vederstyggelighed”.

Elon Musk er stor modstander af lovpakken, fordi den vil øge den amerikanske statsgæld, og i forhold til lige præcis den amerikanske statsgæld har Elon Musk for længe siden slået alarm.

Læs også: Brandbomber og kugler mod Tesla: Hadet til Musk eskalerer

I øjeblikket er USA’s nationale gæld på over $36,2 billioner (36.200 milliarder dollars). Ifølge den amerikanske finansforvaltning har regeringen i regnskabsåret 2025 brugt $684,1 milliarder på renteudgifter. Kongressens Budgetkontor (CBO) forventer, at renteudgifterne vil stige til $952 milliarder i 2025.

Til sammenligning er det foreslåede forsvarsbudget for 2025 på $849,8 milliarder. Hvis renteudgifterne når de forventede $952 milliarder, vil de overstige forsvarsbudgettet.

Elon Musk har decideret slået alarm over den stigende nationale gæld og de tilhørende renteudgifter. Musk siger, at hvis renteudgifterne på statsgælden bliver ved med at stige som nu, vil USA snart stå i en situation, hvor:

Alt kan blive skåret, fordi budgettet ikke længere hænger sammen.

En stor del af statens indtægter går til at betale renter, ikke til velfærd, infrastruktur eller militær.

Når det sker, vil intet længere være “fredet” – det vil sige: hverken Social Security (amerikansk folkepension), Medicare (sundhedsydelser) eller noget andet.

Og det er i det lys, at han har kritiseret præsident Trumps foreslåede “One Big Beautiful Bill Act”, som ifølge CBO vil øge gælden med yderligere $2,4 billioner over det næste årti og tilføje $550 milliarder i renteudgifter.

Så opsummeret: De forventede renteudgifter for 2025 vil overstige USA’s forsvarsbudget. Så får du ikke en klarere understregning af, hvor galt det står til med den amerikanske statsgæld.

Striden eskalerede tydeligvis, da Trump under et pressemøde i Det Hvide Hus torsdag udtrykte skuffelse over Musks holdning og hævdede, at Musk kendte lovpakken bedre end de fleste.

Det afviste Musk blankt, og insisterede på, at han aldrig har set lovpakkens indhold, og at den blev hastet igennem.

Berlingskes smædeskrift om Musk skilt ad – vil chefredaktøren svare?

Musks anklager

Det var Musk, der affyrede de første salver på X. Han skrev, at Trump ville have tabt valget uden hans støtte, og tilføjede: “Sikke en utaknemmelighed.”

Musk stillede også et sarkastisk spørgsmål om, hvorvidt Trump var blevet “erstattet af en klon”, idet han mente, at Trumps politiske holdninger har ændret sig markant. Musk henviste til et opslag fra Trump i januar 2013, hvor han kritiserede republikanere for at hæve gældsloftet, mens den nye lovpakke vil øge USA’s gæld yderligere.

Elon Musks mest opsigtsvækkende anklage er, at Trump figurerer i de såkaldte Epstein-dokumenter, og at det er selve årsagen til, at dokumenterne ikke er offentliggjort. Musk har ikke fremlagt beviser for påstanden eller forklaret, hvordan han skulle have fået adgang til de hemmelige dokumenter.

Lige her blev striden mellem Donald Trump og Elon Musk til åben krig. Screenshot: X.

Jeffrey Epstein, en amerikansk finansmand, blev i 2019 anholdt i en sag om seksuelt misbrug og sexhandel af mindreårige.

Da Jeffrey Epstein døde i en fængselscelle i Manhattan i 2019, blev hans død officielt klassificeret som selvmord ved hængning. Hans død var – helt objektivt – fyldt med mystiske sammenfald. Epstein blev ifølge den officielle historie fundet død i sin celle kl. 6:30 om morgenen, erklæret som selvmord ved hængning. Hans død kom kun få uger efter, at han var blevet nægtet kaution og stod over for en retssag for omfattende sexhandel med mindreårige – en sag, der kunne have impliceret magtfulde personer.

Trump har ikke direkte kommenteret anklagen, og det tolkes der allerede nu på i øst og vest. Nogle mener, at han ikke kommenterer, fordi Elon Musk har ret, og andre mener, at Donald Trump ikke svarer, fordi han allerede nu ved, at han har tænkt sig at sagsøge Elon Musk for injurier. Dit gæt er lige så godt som deres.

FBI afviser ifølge BBC at udtale sig.

Det Hvide Hus’ pressesekretær, Karoline Leavitt, kalder episoden “uheldig” og tilskriver Musks udfald hans utilfredshed med lovpakken.

Musk truede desuden med at tage SpaceX’s Dragon-rumfartøj ud af drift, men senere samme nat skrev han på X, “okay, vi afvikler ikke Dragon”, muligvis som en sarkastisk kommentar eller også en reel kovending efter en opfordring fra en X-bruger om at genoptage venskabet med Trump.

Musk har også oprettet en afstemning på X, hvor han spørger, om det er tid til et nyt politisk parti i USA, der repræsenterer “de 80 procent i midten”. Over 81 procent af de mere end fire millioner respondenter har svaret “ja”.

Læs også: Epstein-filernes ’frigivelse’: Hvad skete der lige der?

Trumps anklager

Trump svarede igen på Truth Social med ordene: “Han er gået AMOK!”

Han hævdede, at Musk stoppede i DOGE, fordi han var udmattet, og at Trump bad ham om at gå – en påstand Musk senere kaldte en løgn.

Trump insisterede også på, at Musk kendte lovpakkens “indre mekanismer” bedre end de fleste, hvilket Musk benægtede. Senere truede Trump med at opsige statslige kontrakter med Musks virksomheder.

Natten til fredag dæmpedes Trumps aktivitet på Truth Social, og striden syntes at miste lidt intensitet, selvom Musk fortsatte med at dele memes på X, hvor han gentagne gange antydede Trumps involvering i Epstein-sagen.

Fredag morgen dansk tid udtalte Trump i en kort telefonsamtale med Politico, at “det er okay” og “det går rigtig godt, det har aldrig gået bedre”.

Ifølge Politico har Det Hvide Hus’ rådgivere planlagt et telefonopkald med Musk fredag for at forsøge at mægle fred, men tidspunktet for opkaldet er endnu uklart.

Og der står vi så. I hvert fald lige præcis nu.

***

redaktion@psst-nyt.dk

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Nogle mener det er aftalt spil for at redde Musks imperium. Jeg tillader mig at tvivle, men døm selv:

Trouble in Paradise or a Calculated Feint? Trump, Musk, and the Art of Strategic Fallout

The Chessboard and the Feint

In chess, the most devastating move isn’t always the most obvious one. 

Sometimes, a player sacrifices a bishop to draw the opponent into a false sense of advantage, only to reveal a deeper strategy several moves ahead. 

What we’re watching right now between President Donald Trump and Elon Musk may look like a feud, but what if it’s something else? What if it’s a public “falling out” that masks something more profound, a calculated repositioning?

The recent jabs between Trump and Musk have triggered headlines ranging from “civil war” to “billionaire betrayal.” But ask yourself this: since when do two men so obsessed with perception lose control of their own? 

And more importantly, does this all feel just a little too…sudden?

Let’s review the board.

Opening Moves: When Allies Share the Same Foxhole

When Elon Musk was brought into the Trump administration as the head of the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), many conservatives saw it as a masterstroke. 

A businessman known for stripping inefficiencies out of bloated operations? 

Perfect. 

Trump had long admired Musk’s innovation and independence. Musk, meanwhile, seemed to appreciate Trump’s directness and willingness to challenge government orthodoxy.

Musk even contributed to the campaign. He helped reshape regulatory frameworks to make domestic manufacturing more competitive. 

They agreed on free speech. 

On reducing red tape. 

On calling out media bias. 

The Twitter bromance was real.

Then came One Big Beautiful Bill, Trump’s sweeping economic and tax package. The moment it passed, Musk turned. 

Or seemed to.

He went scorched earth. On X, Musk called the bill “disgusting,” citing ballooning deficits, wasteful subsidies, and, most damningly, a betrayal of limited government. 

He then suggested Trump was hiding files related to Jeffrey Epstein. 

Trump responded by calling Musk “disloyal” and “mentally unstable.” 

He even threatened to dump his Tesla.

Suddenly, the alliance of titans looked like it was imploding.

But was it?

A Historical Opening: Jefferson and Adams Revisited

There’s a precedent for friendships-turned-rivalries that later found new forms. Take Thomas Jefferson and John Adams. They fought side by side for independence, became bitter political rivals, and didn’t speak for years, only to reconcile in old age through some of the most profound correspondence in American history.

But even during their periods of enmity, both men shaped the republic in ways that were more complementary than conflicting. Jefferson gave a vision. Adams gave structure. Their feud was ideological, yes, but it was also calculated; each knew what his role was.

Could Trump and Musk be playing a similar long game? A sort of “political estrangement theater”?

Or take Nixon and Kissinger. Publicly, they clashed on messaging and posture. Privately, they choreographed global moves with deadly precision. One man played the brawler; the other, the oracle.

This could be that.

A Falling Out or a Firewall?

Here’s the other possibility: This is about firewalls and optics. Musk’s companies, including Tesla, SpaceX, and X, are deeply entangled in federal regulations, subsidies, and approvals. With lawsuits flying, regulatory threats growing, and media heat increasing, Musk may be playing the “dissenter” not to challenge Trump directly but to protect his own empire from appearing too cozy with the MAGA world.

Meanwhile, Trump is gearing up for what could be the most consequential presidential re-election campaign in modern history. He needs independents, blue-collar Dems, and suburban moms. Cozying up too closely with a libertarian billionaire who’s fighting the DOJ, the SEC, and the EU may not help.

So they split. Publicly.

Musk slams the bill. Trump slams Musk. And both gain distance. Clean separation. Voters don’t lump them together. Regulatory agencies don’t link Musk’s enterprises to partisan patronage. The media gets its drama. Base supporters pick sides. And both men walk away “clearer” in the eyes of their respective audiences.

It’s not a divorce. It’s a decoy.

Signals or Noise? Who’s the Audience?

Let’s not kid ourselves. Both men are obsessed with the audience. Trump’s always in campaign mode. Musk’s always in market mode. That makes everything a theater.

Remember when Musk bought Twitter, and Trump refused to rejoin? Remember when Musk championed free speech but then shadow-banned critics of the COVID vaccine? These aren’t contradictions. These are calibrated moves aimed at different demographics, such as Wall Street. Silicon Valley. Red America. Blue-check America.

So, who is this “feud” really for?

Not for you and me. Not for die-hard Trump supporters or Musk fanboys.

It’s for the undecided. For the regulators. For the global investors. For the swing vote in 2026. It’s for perception management.

In that sense, it’s not so much “trouble in paradise” as it is a clever retreat behind the curtain.

Chessboard Lessons: The Feint That Wins the Game

In chess, the feint is a deceptive move that lures an opponent into a mistake. Sacrificing a knight to expose the king’s diagonal. Offering up a pawn to collapse the center. At first glance, it looks like a blunder, but only from the outside.

If you think Elon Musk, with the highest market valuation in the private sector, and Donald Trump, the most media-savvy populist of the last century, are just reacting emotionally to a single bill, you’re playing checkers. 

They’re playing chess.

Musk didn’t just throw a tantrum. 

He changed the conversation. 

In one week, he went from being seen as Trump’s lackey to an independent actor. That’s a power move.

Trump, for his part, needs to reassert that he is the boss. The one calling the shots. 

The alpha. 

The candidate who bows to no donor, no mogul, and no technocrat. 

That’s his brand, and Musk handed it back to him.

What’s Next: Reconciliation or Real Rupture?

Maybe this is a genuine breakup. 

Perhaps pride and principle are too far gone. 

But don’t be surprised if six months from now, after the dust settles and the media moves on, Musk and Trump reunite on a new initiative, maybe a joint economic summit, a tech deregulation push, or even a surprise endorsement.

Because here’s the truth: There are only a few people on this planet who understand what it means to carry the burden of global influence. 

Musk and Trump are two of them.

They may clash. They may maneuver. But they also orbit each other. 

And that gravity doesn’t go away.

If you’ve been watching the headline heat between President Donald Trump and Elon Musk and thinking, “This feels too dramatic to be real,” you’re not alone. 

Something’s clearly unfolding between two of the most powerful voices in politics and tech, but is it authentic animosity, strategic distance, or something deeper?

My PJ Media colleague Matt Margolis has been tracking the twists and turns in real-time, and his three-part breakdown is essential reading for anyone trying to make sense of this high-stakes public feud. 

From eyebrow-raising posts on X to behind-the-scenes speculation, Matt lays out the key moments and red flags that suggest this clash might not be as simple as it seems.

See Related:

“Oh Boy: Something Huge Is Going on Between Trump and Musk”

 “Musk Goes Nuclear on Trump — But Something Isn’t Adding Up”

 “Wake Me Up from This Trump–Musk Nightmare”

Matt’s coverage peels back the layers. Read it all, then decide if what we’re watching is a rupture or a masterclass in political sleight of hand.

Just as Adams and Jefferson or Nixon and Kissinger, they may be playing out a drama that appears to be divided but serves a higher strategy.

Don’t Blink, This Isn’t Over

So don’t be so quick to believe what you see. 

Musk and Trump’s “feud” may just be the bishop getting sacrificed. 

The board is still active. 

The pieces are still moving. 

And somewhere in a quiet room, two men who hate to lose are watching us react, smile slightly, and plan their next move.

Because there’s only one thing more powerful than a powerful alliance.

One that no one sees coming.

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