Members of Congress are sitting again and watching the present.
The bromance that’s captivated Washington for months — President Trump and Elon Musk — blew up on Thursday, a breakup between the world’s strongest man and richest individual that’s leaving the White Home’s legislative agenda hanging within the steadiness.
The implosion performed out in public: Trump — in his first remarks since Musk trashed the “huge, lovely invoice” as “a disgusting abomination” — stated “Elon and I had an ideal relationship; I don’t know if we’ll anymore” and urged his opposition was rooted within the laws’s elimination of incentives for electrical automobiles. Musk referred to as that assertion “false.”
And it unraveled from there. Musk went on a tirade in opposition to Trump on X, the social platform he owns, arguing Republicans wouldn’t have received elections in November with out his assist, backing Trump’s impeachment, and claiming that the president is included within the Epstein information — which is the rationale they haven’t been launched in full.
Trump, in the meantime, took to his social media platform, Fact Social, to name Musk “loopy” and threaten to terminate his authorities subsidies and contracts.
Lawmakers on Capitol Hill, in the meantime, are basking in watching the breakup play out on the massive display screen. Some are providing options for working by way of the drama.
Sen. Tina Smith (D-MINN.) shared a Spotify playlist named “the final word breakup playlist” on X, writing “Thought you would use this @realDonaldTrump.”
“Break ups are actually laborious however I positive do love watching the one between … Trump and Musk play out publicly,” she added in a separate submit.
Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.), in the meantime, is trying to take the drama from C-SPAN to Bravo: The Florida Democrat made a public plea to Andy Cohen to host a reunion episode for “The Actual Housewives of the West Wing,” that includes Trump, Musk and a bunch of different prime administration officers.
“So @Andy and @BravoTV Are you able to produce the Reunion present?” he wrote on X. “Solely @Andy can remedy this.”
The famed actuality tv guru, for his half, is in: “LET ME HOST THE REUNION!” Cohen wrote on Xwith an American flag emoji.
The unsolicited providing of concepts was not restricted to Democrats. Rep. Warren Davidson (R-Ohio), who was certainly one of two Republicans to vote in opposition to the megabill final month — and praised Musk’s criticism of the laws — wrote on X, “I’d like to host a non-public dinner amongst buddies,” inviting Trump, Musk, Vice President Vance, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), the opposite GOP “no” vote.
“Tomorrow night time, perhaps?” he quipped.
The menu is already set — “most likely some crimson meat,” Davidson later instructed reporters — and at the very least one visitor is in, underneath one situation.
“So long as he takes all of the sharp silverware off the desk I’ll be there,” Massie stated. “We want sporks.”
Senate Democratic Chief Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) summed up the sentiment amongst a number of lawmakers with a brief submit in response to Musk’s declare concerning the GOP’s election victories that includes simply the popcorn emoji. In a separate submit, he channeled Taylor Swift: “Siri, play ‘Dangerous Blood.’”
The rift between Trump and Musk had been extremely anticipated on Capitol Hill, with onlookers inside Washington privately predicting how lengthy the 2 influential people and their egos would be capable to work collectively.
The break started final week when Musk stated he was “disillusioned” by the invoice; it heated up on Monday — recent off his White Home tenure — when he referred to as the measure “a disgusting abomination;” and it boiled over on Thursday, when the political assaults on the laws took a private flip to Trump.
For some, the alliance lasted longer than anticipated.
“They acquired alongside longer than I anticipated!” stated one Home Republican.
The feud, nevertheless, is coming at an inopportune second for Republicans: Social gathering leaders are nonetheless pushing to approve their sprawling tax lower and spending package deal by July 4, lower than a month away, and the heated back-and-forth is rising as a distraction from that effort.
Some lawmakers are attempting to refocus the dialog.
“Some are targeted on the massive lovely brawl — however each one in Congress needs to be targeted on making the Huge Lovely Invoice higher,” Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.), who’s pushing for modifications to the invoice, wrote on X.
Different members, in the meantime, opted to remain on the sidelines of the heated battle, leaving it to Trump and Musk.
“Ma’am, I’ve a rule,” Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) instructed CNN. “I by no means get between a canine and a hearth hydrant.”
“I learn a chapter in Proverbs on a regular basis and King Solomon suggested staying out of different individuals’s arguments,” Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) echoed on X.
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