Trump Might Actually Dump Elon After Embarrassing Defeat in Wisconsin

President Donald Trump may finally be getting rid of Elon Musk soon, according to a new report from Politico. And while this isn’t the first time rumors like this have surfaced from the depths of the White House, there’s more reason to believe the hype this time. Why? The conservative judge that Musk spent $20 million trying to get elected in Wisconsin got absolutely shellacked in his election on Tuesday.

The report from Politico says Trump has been telling his “inner circle,” including members of the cabinet that Musk will be “stepping back in the coming weeks.” The billionaire oligarch is not officially part of the cabinet, though he’s been taking a dominant role in cabinet meetings. Ever since Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20 (the same day as Musk’s infamous “salutes“), the Tesla CEO has been destroying the federal government with DOGE, the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, which has been illegally accessing private information and unilaterally cancelling government contracts it has no right to cancel.

The Politico report suggests Trump is happy with the destruction that Musk has been able to accomplish, but he’s not too thrilled with everything else that comes with an extremely wealthy man consolidating power in the richest country on the planet. Trump, as we all know, wants to always be the most powerful guy in the room.

Trump insiders are frustrated with Musk’s “unpredictability,” according to Politico, which seems like a polite way of saying that he’s lost his marbles. The billionaire acts erratically in public and lashes out at perceived enemies while spreading conspiracy theories about the forces working against him. As just one ironic example, Musk held an event in Green Bay, Wisconsin, on Sunday where he was giving out $1 million checks in an effort to buy votes for the election on Tuesday. When some protesters started shouting, Musk told them to “say hi to George,” a reference to George Soros, who he accuses of buying elections.

And it’s that defeat in Tuesday’s election that may spell the end of Musk’s time in government. Or, at the very least, a more diminished role. Musk had supported Judge Brad Schimel, who had been running against Judge Susan Crawford. Musk poured millions into the race, but in the end, Crawford won with 55% of the vote, while Schimel managed to get just 45%, according to the Associated Press.

Musk is classified as a “special government employee,” a designation that only allows a private citizen to serve for 130 days without having to go through the normal vetting processes required of cabinet members. If Musk was required to adhere to the same ethics and conflict-of-interest rules as everyone else in government, there’s virtually no way he would’ve taken the job. The billionaire has lucrative contracts with the federal government through his companies like SpaceX, and the fact that he’s now choosing which contracts should live and die is a blatantly obvious conflict of interest—to say nothing of the intelligence value he’s likely derived from rooting around in government computers that hold data on competitors.

As with all of these reports about Trump and Musk’s relationship, it’s important to take them with a grain of salt. Politico quotes an anonymous White House official who said that anyone who thinks Musk will disappear completely is “fooling themselves.” We’ve been hearing since even before the election that perhaps Trump would ditch Musk, but that obviously hasn’t happened yet. As Gizmodo has argued before, the two men need each other to accomplish their fascist goals. But the main reason Trump has tolerated Musk’s presence is that he can deliver votes, not just in the 2024 presidential election, but in smaller ways.

Musk, for instance, bought ads in Iowa to pressure Sen. Joni Ernst when it looked like she might not support Pete Hegseth for Defense Secretary. Ernst came around, thanks to Musk, and even though Vice President JD Vance had to cast the tie-breaking vote in the Senate, Hegseth was confirmed. If Musk can’t deliver votes anymore, even in smaller judicial races like the one in Wisconsin yesterday, he’s outlived his usefulness to Trump.

Trump may be casting his lustful, oligarchic eyes elsewhere these days, as Mark Zuckerberg was spotted walking into the White House on Wednesday, according to CNN.

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When Musk was asked last week about whether he would step aside after 130 days, the billionaire didn’t actually give a definitive answer to the question. “I think we will have accomplished most of the work required to reduce the deficit by $1 trillion within that time frame,” Musk told Bret Baier of Fox News. You’ll notice that Musk’s statement isn’t actually an admission that he’d step aside. And if we’ve learned anything from the history of oligarchies, it’s that nobody in that position gives up power willingly.

But only time will tell whether Musk is actually kicked to the curb. Even if he left tomorrow, he’s already done enormous damage to the country by destroying USAID and firing tens of thousands of people across federal agencies. The average American may not understand it yet, but Musk’s actions will be felt for generations to come, as the U.S. surrenders its position as a world leader. As soon as the average American does figure it out, it will be way too late to do anything about it. But Musk doesn’t have to worry, he’s got plenty of contracts around the world to prop up his wealth.

That’s the neat thing about being the richest guy in the world. There’s no reason to have an allegiance to just one country, despite what Musk keeps saying about betting on America.