The public feud between President Trump and Elon Musk that became very personal has rocked the political world. Here are a few memes and my analysis...

+ + Why things erupted yesterday...

First of all, I believe cooler heads will (eventually) prevail. It may take time, or it may happen this afternoon. So much was unfolding, so fast, with the core dynamics based on the personalities of both Trump and Musk. If you are interested, this post on X by Devon Eriksen is an interesting analysis of their two personalities. Here's a taste:

"Trump doesn't understand how to deal with spergs. You have to tell them the truth, not expect them to read subtext. They refuse to read subtext. They want to be spoken to honestly.

"Musk doesn't understand how to deal with Machiavellians. They think of language as a power tool, and think of those who insist on truth as naive."

+ + What we shouldn't learn from yesterday...

The groundwork for yesterday's explosion started earlier in the week when GOP leaders (including Speaker Johnson) floated the idea that Musk's opposition to the "Big, Beautiful Bill" (BBB) was due to Musk's self-interest. The BBB, they said, took away EV credits and would hurt Musk's businesses.

Conservative news outlets like Breitbart ran stories promoting this same idea. It became one of the chief talking points to explain how Musk suddenly betrayed the BBB.

President Trump announced this to the nation during a midday presser. He actually pushed two mistruths; a) that Musk was deeply involved in the BBB and supported it and, b) Musk now opposed because it would hurt his business.

Grassfire also began to notice this week that ANY opposition or criticism to the BBB would simply not be allowed by the GOP and conservative establishments. Conservative groups refused to send messages that were critical to BBB to their audiences. Conservative media put any critics on the defensive. And the valid criticisms were not ever addressed. 

Also, the GOP establishment began to talk off the same talking points. Yesterday, after he did a poll on X showing that opponents to the bill far eclipsed supporters, Charlie Kirk began shilling for the bill, even repeating (almost verbatim) the GOP talking points similar to the ones THE WHITE HOUSE EMAILED TO THE MEDIA earlier this week. Sadly, Steve Bannon went so far as to demand the government seize Musk's businesses and deport him. Wow.

So here's what we should not learn from yesterday...

We should not learn that we are not allowed to disagree with each other.

Most people who know me and the work of Grassfire would place both myself and Grassfire on the +95% support side of President Trump. I've written three books on President Trump and have supported his unlikely rise as the first true outsider to win the presidency. I believe Trump is a once-in a lifetime change agent. 

But this bill.... The BBB...

We can do better...

...especially since this may be our ONLY shot (history says the party not in control of the White House wins seats in the off-year election, meaning there is a very good possibility "Speaker Jeffries" will be in charge of the House in 19 short months). 

Here are some of the facts of the BBB that must be considered:

  • This bill actually adds MORE debt -- $2.4 TRILLION in additional debt -- than if Congress did nothing.

  • The bill front loads extra debt and pushes most of the "savings" until after President Trump is out of office (i.e. those "savings" will never happen).

  • The bill does NOT alter the debt curve trajectory. If there is a plan to do that beyond the BBB, then lay that out now and put it on the Congressional docket. It's not enough to say, "Trust us."

  • Annual deficits are projected to start at $2.2 TRILLION and grow to $2.7 TRILLION annually. These numbers could be much higher or lower. But these are the projections of the bill itself.

  • The alleged $1.5 trillion in "savings" isn't a real-dollar reduction in spending; it's a slight reduction in the planned increase in spending. "Spending cuts" is a euphemistic term that doesn't actually mean a reduction in actual spending.

  • The bill increases the debt ceiling by $5 TRILLION for just two years, the largest debt ceiling increase in history. That means a GOP President and a GOP Congress are expected to add $5 TRILLION to the debt in around two years. Republicans have traditionally pushed back against debt ceiling increases. If this passes, the GOP OWNS the debt!

  • The bill bans states from making laws to regulate AI for TEN YEARS. In 10 years, AI could already be beyond human control. (Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said that she didn't know this was in the bill she voted for because members of Congress don't read these bills!)

+ + Three key actions today...

Reigning in the Government Spending Monster is what the Tea Party was founded upon and is at the epicenter of the MAGA movement. If we don't slay the Monster, the Monster will consume all our liberties.

If you agree, here are three things you can do.

#1-- Sign our REAL SPENDING CUTS petition.

#2-- Schedule your personal faxes to key Senators. This is the ONLY way to reach this group of Senators with one action. We've added a 50% discount. Go here (VIPs, go here to send this for $3).

#3-- Call your Senators.

  • To reach your Senators (202-224-3121)
  • For other key Senators: go here

Thanks for listening.

For life, liberty and limited government,

Steve Elliott, Grassfire

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