It may take a considerable amount of time to find a clear explanation and solution to the mystery of Donald Trump’s overwhelming success in the U.S. presidential election, despite numerous polls favouring his Democratic opponent, Kamala Harris. This success occurred against a backdrop of a lengthy list of financial, sexual, and political scandals in which he was allegedly involved.
The only truth revealed by the election results is that the American voter is less concerned with political games and manoeuvres than with the desire to restore the strength of their country, which has been damaged and diminished during President Joe Biden’s administration, particularly following the humiliating withdrawal from Afghanistan. This is evidenced by the fact that issues such as abortion rights and tax cuts, championed by Vice President Kamala Harris and the Democratic candidate, faltered in the face of a crisis like immigration, which Trump leveraged to attract the highest percentage of white voters against minorities in American electoral history.
Trump, having thoroughly analyzed the pre-election landscape, understands the critical role of financial resources in reclaiming the vision of American power. Leveraging his instincts as a businessman and dealmaker, he has forged a clear and public alliance with Elon Musk, the owner of Tesla and SpaceX, who is also a leading investor in space ventures and artificial intelligence technology. This partnership sets a significant theme for a potential second Trump administration, signalling that it will be characterized as an “Era of Financial Power.”
Trump and Musk symbolize the two poles of the MAGA movement, which stands for Donald Trump’s campaign slogan “Make America Great Again.” While the slogan ostensibly calls for a return to a strong America, it is fundamentally rooted in racism, as it rejects immigrants of all backgrounds and actively incites hostility against them. Supporters of this movement subscribe to various conspiracy theories, including the belief that former President Barack Obama is not a U.S. citizen born in the country, and they argue that immigration policies are designed to replace white American citizens.
In any case, the American political landscape is now poised for billionaire Elon Musk to exert his influence. He has outlined certain priorities for himself, despite the ambiguity surrounding his anticipated role in the new Trump administration. During Trump’s 25-minute victory speech, the elected president dedicated nearly four minutes to discussing Musk, referring to him as a “super genius” and praising SpaceX’s rocket launches and satellite internet programs. Finally, he announced the “birth of the star Elon.” Although Trump did not delve into specifics regarding Musk, it appears that the two are aligned in their belief that the entrepreneur will play a significant role in Trump’s second term. Musk is firmly advocating for the leadership of a “Government Efficiency Committee,” which aims to reduce federal budget spending by two trillion dollars or more, while Trump has characterized Musk as the “Minister of Cost Reduction.”
It appears that Musk has no intention of stepping back from political involvement in the upcoming elections. His super PAC will continue its activities beyond this election cycle, preparing for the midterm elections and any other elections during Trump’s tenure. In a previous podcast, Musk expressed his hope to “significantly reduce federal agencies” and ensure they adhere to what Congress has established, rather than engaging in various other activities. He also aims to “cleanse” federal regulations and agencies of undesirable elements.
Musk retweeted a photo of himself with the title “Chief Technology Officer of the United States” and responded to Trump with fire emojis in a post calling for the dismissal of Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan and Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Gary Gensler. He also positively reacted to a post advocating for “dismantling Washington as we know it.” These actions indicate that he intends to instigate a revolution in the structure and management of the U.S. government.
Elon Musk has frequently encountered regulatory challenges under the Biden administration. The Federal Trade Commission, led by Lina Khan, imposed a $150 million fine on X, previously known as Twitter, and mandated restrictions on the social media company’s data collection practices for advertising purposes. Numerous pending lawsuits and government investigations against Musk and his companies suggest that he may welcome the lighter regulatory environment that Trump aims to implement. Among the legal and regulatory issues Musk faces is an appeal regarding his $50 billion Tesla stock compensation, which was overturned by a Delaware judge last January, and an investigation into the company’s autonomous driving systems by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
There are ongoing discussions in Washington regarding the expected role of “MAGA” supporters, led by Trump and billionaire Elon Musk. This comes in the wake of Musk’s participation in a phone call between President-elect Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The conversation focused on Trump’s stance on the Russian war in Ukraine and the future of relations between Kyiv and Washington. A particularly contentious point was whether the U.S. would continue its unwavering support for Ukraine in this conflict, a topic Trump had previously emphasized during his campaign. It was known that Musk had been a prominent advocate for ending the war in Ukraine and ceding some Ukrainian territories to Russia. The well-known entrepreneur has expressed opposition to Ukraine joining NATO, a position he has publicly stated on several occasions, even before his formal endorsement of Trump’s campaign, starting from a rally in Pennsylvania. In essence, Musk’s ambitions extend beyond financial and organizational matters to the realm of international politics, including regional crises and conflicts, which has raised concerns among many lawmakers, particularly those in the Democratic Party.
There is a widespread belief that the next four years will be exceptional in every respect, leading to a transformation of all previous political equations established in the years following the collapse of Russia. It is even possible that we will witness cooperation among factions that were previously deemed incompatible, driven by a balance of interests rather than a balance of power.
Dr. Hatem Sadek – Professor at Helwan University
