1 00:00:03,520 --> 00:00:08,080 Speaker 1: Well, the most predictable divorce is finally come to fruition. 2 00:00:08,280 --> 00:00:11,440 Speaker 1: Elon Musk and Donald Trump are now in the Ron 3 00:00:11,480 --> 00:00:16,600 Speaker 1: Burgundy fight portion of their relationship. Literally, I think Brick 4 00:00:16,760 --> 00:00:21,680 Speaker 1: killed a man, Epstein files government contracts. We literally the 5 00:00:21,720 --> 00:00:24,680 Speaker 1: two of them have gone nuclear. If you haven't been 6 00:00:24,800 --> 00:00:29,120 Speaker 1: keeping up literally in the last few hours. It started, 7 00:00:29,120 --> 00:00:32,400 Speaker 1: of course, with Elon Musk saying the Big Beautiful Bill 8 00:00:32,440 --> 00:00:37,280 Speaker 1: was terrible, and that escalated, and then Trump escalated. Finally, 9 00:00:37,400 --> 00:00:41,640 Speaker 1: during an oval office conversation with the new Chancellor of Germany, 10 00:00:42,680 --> 00:00:46,960 Speaker 1: he essentially just said he would have won without Elon Musk. 11 00:00:47,000 --> 00:00:49,880 Speaker 1: Of course, Elon Musk had to let Trump decided to 12 00:00:49,960 --> 00:00:53,040 Speaker 1: let Trump know. Without his help, Trump loses the presidency, 13 00:00:53,159 --> 00:00:56,120 Speaker 1: Democrats hold the House, and Republicans only have a fifty 14 00:00:56,120 --> 00:00:59,040 Speaker 1: one to forty nine Senate. You know, I was trying 15 00:00:59,040 --> 00:01:00,840 Speaker 1: to see if he was right about that one. I 16 00:01:00,840 --> 00:01:03,200 Speaker 1: actually give mus credit. I think he's right, because I 17 00:01:03,200 --> 00:01:07,040 Speaker 1: don't that even without his involvement, Republicans still hang on 18 00:01:07,080 --> 00:01:09,160 Speaker 1: to the Senate. So I actually think in that sense 19 00:01:09,880 --> 00:01:13,639 Speaker 1: his handicapping was correct there. But all of a sudden 20 00:01:13,640 --> 00:01:18,959 Speaker 1: this escalated quickly. Trump goes on truth social and drops 21 00:01:19,000 --> 00:01:21,119 Speaker 1: the first nuclear bomb, and he says, the easiest way 22 00:01:21,120 --> 00:01:23,560 Speaker 1: to save money in our budget, billions and billions of dollars, 23 00:01:23,840 --> 00:01:27,400 Speaker 1: is to terminate Elon's governmental subsidies and contracts. I was 24 00:01:27,440 --> 00:01:32,880 Speaker 1: always surprised that Biden didn't do it. And literally thirty 25 00:01:32,920 --> 00:01:36,920 Speaker 1: minutes later, a little over thirty minutes later, Elon Musk 26 00:01:36,959 --> 00:01:39,600 Speaker 1: goes on X and says, time to drop the really 27 00:01:39,600 --> 00:01:43,040 Speaker 1: big bomb. See they've been exchanging bombs. Donald Trump is 28 00:01:43,040 --> 00:01:45,120 Speaker 1: in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they 29 00:01:45,120 --> 00:01:47,480 Speaker 1: have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT. 30 00:01:48,760 --> 00:01:51,000 Speaker 1: So look, there's a huge part of me, not a 31 00:01:51,040 --> 00:01:53,160 Speaker 1: small part of me, a huge part of me that says, 32 00:01:53,240 --> 00:01:55,480 Speaker 1: be careful, assuming this is a big deal. Why do 33 00:01:55,560 --> 00:01:59,040 Speaker 1: I say that, because at the end of the day, 34 00:01:59,480 --> 00:02:01,760 Speaker 1: Elon must will still need something from Donald Trump, and 35 00:02:01,760 --> 00:02:03,880 Speaker 1: Donald Trump will still need something from Elon Musk, and 36 00:02:03,880 --> 00:02:07,440 Speaker 1: Donald Trump always kowtows to wealthy people, Always cowtows to 37 00:02:07,480 --> 00:02:11,480 Speaker 1: wealthy people. Remember that always does Jeff Bezos hit him, 38 00:02:11,639 --> 00:02:14,120 Speaker 1: didn't matter. He will always let a person who is 39 00:02:14,120 --> 00:02:16,760 Speaker 1: wealthier than he is back in his good graces if 40 00:02:16,800 --> 00:02:19,119 Speaker 1: they want to come back in his good graces. There's 41 00:02:19,200 --> 00:02:22,280 Speaker 1: usually a price, but they will be there. Elon Musk 42 00:02:22,440 --> 00:02:27,920 Speaker 1: does need he can't. SpaceX cannot run without the government. Okay, 43 00:02:28,200 --> 00:02:32,320 Speaker 1: there is no SpaceX. There is no space program arguably 44 00:02:32,400 --> 00:02:35,600 Speaker 1: right now without SpaceX, and vice versus. So this is it. 45 00:02:36,200 --> 00:02:41,000 Speaker 1: As much as they're threatening the clear bombs at each other, this, 46 00:02:42,160 --> 00:02:45,359 Speaker 1: I'm trying to be realistic here and just do keep 47 00:02:45,360 --> 00:02:47,920 Speaker 1: in mind that as entertaining as this may be, if 48 00:02:47,960 --> 00:02:50,480 Speaker 1: you can't stand Trump, or as entertaining as you think 49 00:02:50,480 --> 00:02:52,960 Speaker 1: this is, you can't stand Musk, can't stand both of them. 50 00:02:52,960 --> 00:02:55,320 Speaker 1: Maybe you like both of them and you're torn. However 51 00:02:55,320 --> 00:02:58,480 Speaker 1: you want to look at it, just realize that in 52 00:02:58,600 --> 00:03:01,320 Speaker 1: many ways these guys are the same guy because they 53 00:03:01,360 --> 00:03:05,400 Speaker 1: have this. This is their fundamental belief system. Right. They 54 00:03:05,400 --> 00:03:08,200 Speaker 1: both believe if I did you a favor, you have 55 00:03:08,280 --> 00:03:09,920 Speaker 1: to be loyal to me all the time. How do 56 00:03:09,960 --> 00:03:12,000 Speaker 1: we know this with Donald Trump? Look at how he's 57 00:03:12,000 --> 00:03:14,800 Speaker 1: complaining about Amy Coney Barrett. He doesn't think Brett kavan 58 00:03:14,840 --> 00:03:18,520 Speaker 1: On Amy Coney Barrett, who he nominated for the Supreme Court, 59 00:03:18,840 --> 00:03:23,320 Speaker 1: he doesn't understand why they ever rule against him. He 60 00:03:23,320 --> 00:03:26,160 Speaker 1: thinks because he appointed them, they should always rule in 61 00:03:26,200 --> 00:03:30,480 Speaker 1: his favor. No matter what the Constitution says. And he's 62 00:03:30,520 --> 00:03:35,960 Speaker 1: been quite irritated that now Neil Gorsuch has more more 63 00:03:36,280 --> 00:03:39,440 Speaker 1: in line with what Trump has wanted than either Kavanaugh 64 00:03:39,520 --> 00:03:41,600 Speaker 1: or Barrett had. But the point is you need to 65 00:03:41,680 --> 00:03:44,960 Speaker 1: understand that to understand his binary thinking. And then, of 66 00:03:45,000 --> 00:03:46,840 Speaker 1: course he believes he gave Elon Musk all of this, 67 00:03:46,920 --> 00:03:49,400 Speaker 1: so how could Musk ever turn on him? Now? The 68 00:03:49,440 --> 00:03:51,320 Speaker 1: same is true with Elon Musk. He believes, hey, if 69 00:03:51,360 --> 00:03:53,320 Speaker 1: I've financially helped you, you've got to be loyal to 70 00:03:53,360 --> 00:03:56,279 Speaker 1: me for good. He's that way in his personal relationships. 71 00:03:56,280 --> 00:04:00,320 Speaker 1: He gets angry anytime anybody he is financially supporting question 72 00:04:00,480 --> 00:04:04,200 Speaker 1: something he's done, he lashes out. So in many ways, 73 00:04:04,240 --> 00:04:09,400 Speaker 1: they both believe that influence and buys loyalty, that all 74 00:04:09,440 --> 00:04:12,960 Speaker 1: loyalty is for sale, right, and that if you are 75 00:04:13,800 --> 00:04:17,560 Speaker 1: if you are not sufficiency loyal because I've given you 76 00:04:17,600 --> 00:04:20,599 Speaker 1: financial help, or you're not sufficiency loyal because I've given 77 00:04:20,640 --> 00:04:24,680 Speaker 1: you a place in politics, you're dead to them, right. 78 00:04:24,720 --> 00:04:28,279 Speaker 1: And now the two of them essentially are applying their 79 00:04:28,440 --> 00:04:31,760 Speaker 1: own sort of loyalty tests to each other. And the 80 00:04:31,800 --> 00:04:34,520 Speaker 1: problem is they're the same guy. They have the same. 81 00:04:34,560 --> 00:04:36,039 Speaker 1: I mean, this is what it is, and they're both 82 00:04:36,040 --> 00:04:38,279 Speaker 1: going to be stubborn, and so this may be how 83 00:04:38,320 --> 00:04:40,880 Speaker 1: you end up in a virtual nuclear war. Right. This 84 00:04:40,920 --> 00:04:43,720 Speaker 1: is why, by the way, temperament matters and actual world 85 00:04:43,800 --> 00:04:47,240 Speaker 1: leaders right, can you imagine, Oh wait, one of them 86 00:04:47,240 --> 00:04:49,120 Speaker 1: does have the nuclear codes. I'm sitting here going can 87 00:04:49,120 --> 00:04:51,239 Speaker 1: you imagine if both of these men had the nuclear codes. 88 00:04:51,560 --> 00:04:53,200 Speaker 1: The scary thing is Elon must might be able to 89 00:04:53,200 --> 00:04:55,360 Speaker 1: hack his way at least into North Korea and get 90 00:04:55,400 --> 00:04:59,640 Speaker 1: their nuclear codes. But this is why you should care 91 00:04:59,640 --> 00:05:03,640 Speaker 1: about temperament in your leadership, why you can't have ill 92 00:05:03,680 --> 00:05:06,599 Speaker 1: tempered people running a company, let alone running a country, 93 00:05:08,279 --> 00:05:11,359 Speaker 1: because this is the situation you find yourself in. It 94 00:05:11,440 --> 00:05:15,120 Speaker 1: is certainly amusing, It is certainly predictable. And that's the 95 00:05:15,160 --> 00:05:18,360 Speaker 1: other thing in the Trump era, this was the most 96 00:05:18,400 --> 00:05:22,760 Speaker 1: predictable split, and yet you just didn't know the day 97 00:05:22,760 --> 00:05:25,000 Speaker 1: it was. It's funny how the Trump the Trump world, 98 00:05:25,160 --> 00:05:28,400 Speaker 1: the Trump era works. No matter how predictable something is 99 00:05:28,440 --> 00:05:30,800 Speaker 1: in the Trump era, it's still shocking how it ends. 100 00:05:31,040 --> 00:05:34,320 Speaker 1: Even though you have an idea it'll end badly. Right. 101 00:05:34,640 --> 00:05:37,680 Speaker 1: One of my favorite lines to quote pretty much about 102 00:05:37,720 --> 00:05:40,960 Speaker 1: anything in life, these days. Is in the movie Cocktail. 103 00:05:41,920 --> 00:05:43,960 Speaker 1: Towards the end of that movie, the bartender says, you know, 104 00:05:44,000 --> 00:05:47,160 Speaker 1: everything in badly or ELSEO wouldn't end. There's some truth 105 00:05:47,200 --> 00:05:49,680 Speaker 1: to that, right, you know, you just there's no you know, 106 00:05:50,360 --> 00:05:53,279 Speaker 1: Johnny Carson and Tom Brokaw feels like the only two 107 00:05:53,279 --> 00:05:55,840 Speaker 1: guys that actually got to end something on their terms. 108 00:05:56,600 --> 00:05:58,120 Speaker 1: Most of the time in life you don't get to 109 00:05:58,200 --> 00:06:00,760 Speaker 1: end things on your terms. In fact, the very end 110 00:06:00,839 --> 00:06:05,000 Speaker 1: of life is usually a disruptive thing in you know, 111 00:06:05,120 --> 00:06:09,080 Speaker 1: it's not necessarily a happy thing. So it was inevitable 112 00:06:09,080 --> 00:06:12,680 Speaker 1: that this was going to end badly. Now, the question 113 00:06:12,880 --> 00:06:15,800 Speaker 1: is when you have in a erradic, anything could happen here. 114 00:06:16,279 --> 00:06:19,120 Speaker 1: You know, look, Trump got mad at Zelensky and yanked 115 00:06:19,200 --> 00:06:22,240 Speaker 1: aid to Ukraine for about a week, but he eventually 116 00:06:22,279 --> 00:06:26,040 Speaker 1: gave it back. So you know, we should be prepared 117 00:06:26,080 --> 00:06:29,240 Speaker 1: for any outcome over the next week in the Musk 118 00:06:29,279 --> 00:06:33,159 Speaker 1: Trump relationship. If they patch things up and have a fun, 119 00:06:34,440 --> 00:06:38,480 Speaker 1: free wheeling press conference in the Oval, that wouldn't surprise me. 120 00:06:39,480 --> 00:06:41,599 Speaker 1: And they would just chalk this up to you know, 121 00:06:41,720 --> 00:06:45,279 Speaker 1: are you not entertained? You know, as as our friend 122 00:06:45,279 --> 00:06:48,760 Speaker 1: at the CNN contributor, mister Jennings like to say all 123 00:06:48,800 --> 00:06:50,599 Speaker 1: the time, are you not entertained? And if you see 124 00:06:50,600 --> 00:06:52,960 Speaker 1: politics as entertainment, this is just another chapter in the 125 00:06:53,080 --> 00:06:58,320 Speaker 1: entertaining their and their entertainment files. But you could also see, 126 00:06:58,800 --> 00:07:02,160 Speaker 1: you know, Elon Musk be super stubborn for years on 127 00:07:02,240 --> 00:07:04,520 Speaker 1: this and maybe he does. He's threatening to fund a 128 00:07:04,560 --> 00:07:08,440 Speaker 1: third party kind of ironic. This week the episode of 129 00:07:08,440 --> 00:07:10,640 Speaker 1: the podcast, my most current episode right now is with 130 00:07:10,680 --> 00:07:13,200 Speaker 1: the CEO of the Forward Party, which was founded by 131 00:07:13,240 --> 00:07:18,600 Speaker 1: another entrepreneur but not as erratic and his temperament as 132 00:07:18,680 --> 00:07:21,240 Speaker 1: mister Musk. And that's Andrew Yang, who was a bit 133 00:07:21,280 --> 00:07:26,120 Speaker 1: of a actually online phenomenon back in twenty twenty, arguing 134 00:07:26,160 --> 00:07:27,840 Speaker 1: that hey, there has to be a better way, There's 135 00:07:27,840 --> 00:07:31,480 Speaker 1: got to be something in the middle. I do think 136 00:07:31,520 --> 00:07:36,560 Speaker 1: that Elon Musk has gotten a six month education into politics, 137 00:07:36,560 --> 00:07:38,920 Speaker 1: that he really was pretty naive. He really didn't know 138 00:07:39,040 --> 00:07:41,200 Speaker 1: much about American politics. It was pretty clear to me 139 00:07:41,360 --> 00:07:44,480 Speaker 1: for a long time that he didn't understand American politics. 140 00:07:45,360 --> 00:07:47,840 Speaker 1: I still think he doesn't quite get it and doesn't 141 00:07:47,920 --> 00:07:52,120 Speaker 1: quite understand how it works. But I think he believes 142 00:07:52,120 --> 00:07:54,560 Speaker 1: he has so much money that he can disrupt it anyway, 143 00:07:54,640 --> 00:07:57,960 Speaker 1: even if he doesn't understand how something works. A little 144 00:07:57,960 --> 00:07:59,360 Speaker 1: bit is that that is a little bit of the 145 00:07:59,360 --> 00:08:01,280 Speaker 1: cockiness of Silicon Valley. I think a lot of people 146 00:08:01,320 --> 00:08:04,320 Speaker 1: in Silicon Valley are very dismissive of any sort of 147 00:08:04,360 --> 00:08:06,960 Speaker 1: business or institution that they didn't help build, and they 148 00:08:06,960 --> 00:08:10,080 Speaker 1: think I know better, and there can be that arrogance 149 00:08:10,120 --> 00:08:12,080 Speaker 1: that comes across from them, and I think Musk has 150 00:08:12,120 --> 00:08:17,520 Speaker 1: that arrogance. But let's be realistic when third, you know, 151 00:08:17,680 --> 00:08:21,120 Speaker 1: in some ways, Ross Perot's launch of the Reform Party 152 00:08:21,120 --> 00:08:24,320 Speaker 1: and his success was due to just personal bitterness. He 153 00:08:24,360 --> 00:08:26,320 Speaker 1: was angry at the bushes, he was angry at some 154 00:08:26,360 --> 00:08:28,840 Speaker 1: Texas Republics. Then he thought, you know what, why not, 155 00:08:29,040 --> 00:08:30,680 Speaker 1: and all of a sudden it turned into a movement. 156 00:08:30,800 --> 00:08:35,320 Speaker 1: So the point is, any outcome is possible here right now. 157 00:08:35,840 --> 00:08:38,760 Speaker 1: If you told me Elon Musk decided to keep this 158 00:08:38,840 --> 00:08:43,240 Speaker 1: scorched earth campaign going on Trump and then literally started recruiting, 159 00:08:43,720 --> 00:08:46,800 Speaker 1: you know, funding the Libertarian Party with money that they've 160 00:08:46,840 --> 00:08:50,840 Speaker 1: never seen before. Funding a forward party, funding a new 161 00:08:50,880 --> 00:08:54,560 Speaker 1: effort wouldn't shock me. Remember, he's got money to burn. Literally, 162 00:08:54,640 --> 00:08:56,520 Speaker 1: he's willing to burn money up. He did it in 163 00:08:56,520 --> 00:08:59,400 Speaker 1: Wisconsin and that Supreme Court race. But if you also 164 00:08:59,440 --> 00:09:02,800 Speaker 1: told me that Elon Musk cares about the future of SpaceX, 165 00:09:02,840 --> 00:09:07,480 Speaker 1: which again, SpaceX would not exist without the federal government, right, 166 00:09:08,160 --> 00:09:10,840 Speaker 1: and yet NASA can't exist right now without SpaceX. So 167 00:09:11,600 --> 00:09:14,080 Speaker 1: there is a reality check here in this relationship that 168 00:09:14,120 --> 00:09:20,280 Speaker 1: I'm very curious to see how this somehow goes forward, 169 00:09:20,280 --> 00:09:24,960 Speaker 1: if this feud indeed is as escalatory as it currently is. 170 00:09:25,040 --> 00:09:28,880 Speaker 1: But the only thing about this is that neither gentleman 171 00:09:30,480 --> 00:09:33,760 Speaker 1: knows how to back down. Yes, we know Donald Trump 172 00:09:33,800 --> 00:09:37,640 Speaker 1: is mister Taco. Trump always chickens out. So I don't 173 00:09:37,679 --> 00:09:40,280 Speaker 1: think he will gut NASA because the only way to 174 00:09:40,440 --> 00:09:43,880 Speaker 1: hurt harm Elon would be to harm NASA. And that's 175 00:09:44,200 --> 00:09:46,880 Speaker 1: that's an uncomfortable place to be, you know, with there 176 00:09:47,640 --> 00:09:49,800 Speaker 1: what Donald Trump's done with our economy and with tarifs 177 00:09:49,840 --> 00:09:51,760 Speaker 1: and with universities, He's already done a lot of self 178 00:09:51,800 --> 00:09:55,320 Speaker 1: harm to the American economy. I just can't imagine that 179 00:09:55,400 --> 00:09:58,280 Speaker 1: he would actually do that to the space program. And 180 00:09:58,400 --> 00:10:01,559 Speaker 1: yet there is going to be a part of him 181 00:10:01,559 --> 00:10:04,800 Speaker 1: that feels as if he can't let Elon challenge his manhood, right, 182 00:10:05,280 --> 00:10:09,720 Speaker 1: And so what happens when you have a powerful person 183 00:10:10,200 --> 00:10:13,760 Speaker 1: and a wealthy person with the id of a thirteen 184 00:10:13,840 --> 00:10:17,160 Speaker 1: year old. And that's essentially what we're dealing with right 185 00:10:17,160 --> 00:10:22,280 Speaker 1: now too, thirteen year olds without parental supervision who are 186 00:10:22,320 --> 00:10:25,679 Speaker 1: not sure any guardrails have ever been built that should 187 00:10:25,720 --> 00:10:30,959 Speaker 1: stop them. As entertaining and as funny as you might 188 00:10:31,000 --> 00:10:33,160 Speaker 1: find it, this is actually kind of a scary moment. 189 00:10:34,200 --> 00:10:37,680 Speaker 1: And this is why we should always be reminding ourselves 190 00:10:37,679 --> 00:10:42,640 Speaker 1: that character and temperament matter in our politics. How a 191 00:10:42,760 --> 00:10:47,160 Speaker 1: leader handles moments like this is whether a country continues 192 00:10:47,240 --> 00:10:50,880 Speaker 1: to be stable or not stable. So prepare for any 193 00:10:50,920 --> 00:10:55,880 Speaker 1: outcome on this one. But I will say this. You 194 00:10:55,920 --> 00:10:58,280 Speaker 1: know there's the great metaphor the frog and the scorpion, 195 00:10:58,880 --> 00:11:01,640 Speaker 1: And I asked on two or earlier today, who is 196 00:11:01,679 --> 00:11:04,360 Speaker 1: the scorpion and who is the frog? And this relationship 197 00:11:04,400 --> 00:11:07,800 Speaker 1: between Musk and Trump. But I will say this, anybody 198 00:11:07,800 --> 00:11:11,600 Speaker 1: who wants to just be anti Musk and sidles with Trump, 199 00:11:11,720 --> 00:11:14,360 Speaker 1: or wants to be anti Trump in sidles up to Musk, 200 00:11:15,880 --> 00:11:19,360 Speaker 1: just be warned they both might be a scorpion.