Is Elon Musk Just A Trump Hatchet Man Or Is He Running The Show?

In less than a month in office, President Donald Trump and his minions have taken actions that ignore the Constitution, ignore federal laws, and ignore federal courts.

And the minion at the top of that list is Elon Musk.

Here’s what we know:

➡️ Elon Musk is the richest person in the world.

➡️ He spent more than $250 million in the 2024 campaign to help Trump return to power and ended up planted by Trump’s side.

➡️ He’s spreading misinformation and false statements about the government and the work of DOGE.

So, is he a hatchet man for Trump or is he running the show? Maybe both?

This week, Trump took to Truth Social to say in ALL CAPS: “LONG LIVE THE KING.” Did he mean he’s aiming to be President for life? Or maybe, unwittingly, he was talking about Musk.

Trump has handed Musk the power to dismantle federal agencies, programs, and jobs without concern for facts and truth, and without concern for the chaos he is creating.

Like dictators and authoritarians around the world, Trump also apparently sees the presidency as an extension of his business interests. And so may Musk.

Musk’s company Space X alone reportedly already has $22 billion in government contracts. The total amount is unknown since a number of contracts are secret.

Firings of investigators and other officials by the Trump Administration have affected at least 11 federal agencies (so far) that have 32 continuing investigations, pending complaints, or enforcement actions into Musk’s companies, according to a New York Times review.

These investigations include inquiries into safety violations by Space X and an SEC lawsuit accusing Musk of securities fraud.

The National Labor Relations Board, an independent watchdog for workers’ rights, has 24 investigations into Musk’s companies. Rulings on these investigations, The Times found, have stalled following Trump’s firing of key agency officials.

China is Tesla’s second-largest market. Meanwhile, there is Musk, Tesla’s owner, reportedly advising Trump, according to a former official, that it’s important for the United States to find ways to work with China.

Trump has made clear that he doesn’t believe in anti-corruption laws, conflicts of interest, or ethics rules. It appears, based on his multiple conflicts of interest, that Musk feels the same.

It has been clear from the beginning that Musk is in charge of DOGE, the so-called “government efficiency” operation he is steering with no apparent accountability or oversight.

DOGE has moved swiftly to gut federal agencies – firing career public servants, sidelining experts, and disrupting investigations. The cuts have been haphazard and chaotic, cutting essential oversight and even forcing urgent walk-backs, like last week when hundreds of nuclear weapons workers were abruptly fired, only for the Administration to scramble to rehire them.

On Monday, the White House claimed in a court filing that Musk isn’t in charge of DOGE after all. He’s just a plain old senior White House adviser. Why the sudden title change?

Apparently, because multiple lawsuits have been filed against actions by DOGE and Musk, including two lawsuits against Musk that present strong cases that he is leading DOGE and does not have the Senate confirmation required by the Constitution.

But, funny thing, just last night Trump contradicted his own White House lawyers, saying he created DOGE and put Musk “in charge” of it.

Musk is the one announcing DOGE’s latest cuts, setting its agenda, and cheering on the team that’s taking control of personal and private information that should be protected by our government.

Meanwhile, anti-Musk “pop-up” protests are taking place at Tesla dealerships around the country and calls are growing for Congress to rein in Musk’s unchecked power.

A new Quinnipiac poll found that a majority of American voters (55% to 36%) believe Musk has too much decision-making power in the country. That poll, along with new polls from CNN/SSRS and The Washington Post/Ipsos, also show Trump’s approval rating in negative territory.

Our democracy, our Constitution, and a government that is supposed to protect the health, safety, and economic stability of the American people must not become roadkill for a multibillionaire President and his richest-in-the-world hatchet man.

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