The billionaire has put himself front and center in the closing days of the campaign, making himself a perfect avatar for Trump’s plutocratic policies

Behind his generally genial persona, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has got a sharp tongue on him. He was particularly cutting toward former President Donald Trump on Tuesday when he appeared alongside former President Barack Obama to herald the start of early voting in Wisconsin. But the Democratic vice presidential nominee also had a new target in his sights: chaotic billionaire turned GOP megadonor Elon Musk.

Specifically, Walz took aim at Trump’s promise to appoint Musk to lead a new “government efficiency commission” if he wins. “[Musk] could spend millions to make more than $10 billion on the back end,” Walz told the crowd. “Donald Trump, in front of the eyes of the public, is promising corruption.”

It’s a sharp elbow from Walz — and one that Musk deserves to catch. In funneling his fortuneinto trying to get Trump elected, it is all too clear that the owner of Tesla and SpaceX is hoping to profit handsomely as a result. But in doing so, he’s also made himself a ready-made plutocratic villain for Walz and Vice President Kamala Harris in the closing days of the campaign.

  • Boddhisatva@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    13
    arrow-down
    2
    ·
    2 days ago

    I get that Musk is a useless twat and not good for much other than punching, but he’s not running for president. This all seems like a distraction from talking about Don’s progressing mental decline.

    • 0x01@lemmy.ml
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      21
      ·
      2 days ago

      Proxies are effective political attack vectors, see: politician’s family like hunter biden, non running candidates like joe biden, talkshow hosts who speak positively about one or the other candidate

      This kind of focal shift happens all the time, evidently to pretty decent effect, elon husk making himself the center of the R campaign brings his positive and negative baggage with it.

      Side note

      Husk isn’t a US citizen so this is his peak political influence