Phil King's Regal successfully bets against Tesla, Nvidia
Regal Partners says it has successfully shorted two of Wall Street's biggest technology stocks, electric carmaker Tesla and artificial intelligence chip manufacturer Nvidia, helping returns in an otherwise poor quarter.
Its positions were revealed in a letter from Regal's chief investment officer Phil King in which he said that the 'exuberance' of American investors were presenting the high-profile hedge fund with more opportunities.
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West Australian
2 hours ago
- West Australian
Electric vehicle myths pose ‘significant challenge' to world's transition to sustainable transport options
Misinformation about electric vehicles, from how likely they are to burst into flames to their green credentials, is rife — even among those who own them. University of Queensland-led research suggests more people believe misinformation about EVs than disagree with it, posing a 'significant challenge' to the world's transition to more sustainable transport options. When presented with misleading statements, people were more inclined to agree than disagree that EVs were at a higher risk of catching fire than petrol cars, that the batteries were designed to be non-upgradeable and that the cars do not produce emissions savings. The research, published in Nature Energy and released late Monday, is based on surveys in Australia, the US, Germany and Australia. UQ business school's Chris Bretter said the extent to which people would accept misinformation about EVs, even if they drove one, was 'concerning'. 'The misinformation statements we tested included that EVs are more likely to catch fire than petrol cars, do not produce emission savings and emit electromagnetic fields that damage health. . . all claims which are demonstrably false,' Dr Bretter said. 'We know this sort of false information is out there and circulating, but the scale of acceptance is concerning and poses a significant challenge to the global transition to more sustainable transport. 'The fact that even EV owners were more likely than not to agree with misinformation underscores just how embedded it's become in society.' EV cars accounted for about 20 per cent of all vehicles sold globally last year. In Australia, where EV sales have been more sluggish than Europe, sales of electric and plug-in hybrid cars were up 14 per cent for the year. Even the polarising nature of Tesla boss Elon Musk — and his association with the Donald Trump administration in the US — could not stop a 10.4 per cent spike in Australian EV car sales last month, fuelled in part by the arrival of a new Tesla model. That followed a global drop in Tesla sales attributed in part to Mr Musk's unpopularity. New Australian vehicle efficiency standards are expected to help further drive sales. Professor Matthew Hornsey said a person's level of education did not effect how likely they were to agree with false statements about EVs. However, their willingness to embrace conspiracy theories did. Some participants had unfounded concerns about the risk of EVs to health and the environment and believed there was a 'secret agenda' to exaggerate their benefits. 'The biggest predictor of whether a person accepted misinformation statements was actually conspiracy mentality — a tendency to believe conspiracies occur and seeing the world through a lens of corruption and secret agendas,' he said. 'This same outlook has also been associated with opposition to science-backed technologies like vaccinations and wind farms. 'The results show public understanding of EVs has been distorted by an information landscape shaped by myths, selective framing and speculative reasoning.' The UQ researchers found that people given either a fact sheet on EVs or a chance to 'talk' to AI tool ChatGPT were less likely to believe EV misinformation afterwards.
The Advertiser
7 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Leaders used as props in Trump's trashy show
This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it. And, let's face it, so would you. We all knew it was coming but when it did, so publicly and in real time, the break-up was spectacular. The world's richest man and the world's most powerful, slugging it out for all to see, both diminished by the ugliness of the spectacle. Reality TV was never this compelling. No episode of Big Brother, Survivor or Married at First Sight has or will ever come close. Nor will it ever be this expensive to make. Elon Musk's US$300 million investment in Donald Trump's election campaign up in smoke in the course of an Oval Office appearance by the president, who with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz seated beside him like an embarrassed extra, unloaded on his former "first buddy". Not only that. Billions were wiped off his wealth as Tesla shares tanked by 14 per cent. One estimate was that Musk's personal net wealth tumbled by US$34 billion. In one day. Musk, the MAGA darling, one minute, a pariah the next. Long-time Trump acolyte Steve Bannon called for Musk's deportation. Trump himself threatened to cancel multibillion-dollar contracts with Musk's SpaceX, claimed Elon had "gone crazy". All because the billionaire publicly opposed Trump's spending bill with its tax cuts for the wealthy and an additional US$2.42 trillion in debt over the next decade. Musk himself called for Trump to be impeached, for JD Vance to replace him. He posted without evidence that Trump featured in the unreleased and, without doubt, sordid Jeffrey Epstein files. If it was dizzying stuff for casual viewers on the other side of the world, imagine what it was like for Merz, sitting in the rococo nightmare of the revamped Oval Office in front of the world's media, having just been informed by Trump that D-day was not a pleasant day for Germany. Some small talk. Then to have to sit through Trump's Musk tirade, maintaining a facial expression of dignified neutrality. After Zelenskyy's dressing down and South Africa's Cyril Ramaphosa's enduring of discredited white genocide claims, it's time world leaders stopped beating a path to the Oval Office door. They should not allow themselves to be used as props in the trashy Trump show. Show some dignity, people. Time is a precious commodity, especially for the leaders of nations. The last thing they need is to waste it enduring incomprensible monologues from a president who has a loose arrangement with the plot. When Trump was bloviating about Russia and Ukraine being like two children fighting in a park - sometimes you have to let them fight before pulling them apart, he told the chancellor - Merz showed incredible self-control by not looking at his watch. Having seen a procession of leaders displayed like trophies in the Oval Office, the host basking in all the attention, often treating them rudely, those seeking an audience ought to be careful about what they wish for. It's unlikely Friedrich Merz thought he'd get a front row seat to the unholy tantrum that was the Musk-Trump break-up. Also unlikely he'd hurry back for more of the same. HAVE YOUR SAY: Should world leaders maintain their dignity by declining audiences with Donald Trump? Do they risk becoming extras in Trump's trashy reality show? Are they pandering to his ego by beating a path to his door? Would ignoring Trump better serve their interests? Email us: echidna@ SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: - An Australian man detained in an Iraqi prison for nearly four years has been released on bail. Engineer Robert Pether was granted conditional release after being detained on misrepresentation and fraud charges. - Families of six children killed in a primary school jumping castle accident in Tasmania are angry and in disbelief after a court dismissed a workplace safety charge against its operator. - Armed with bollards and bravery, French nationals Damien Guerot and Silas Despreaux confronted Joel Cauchi amid his stabbing rampage at a busy mall in broad daylight where he killed six dead in five minutes. They were awarded the Ordre National du Merite, one of France's highest distinctions, for their courageous efforts on April 13, 2024. THEY SAID IT: "Nothing is more despicable than respect based on fear." - Albert Camus YOU SAID IT: When problems are always presented as insurmountable, we stop looking for solutions, falling victim to doomsday fatigue, wrote Garry. "I wish, those who suffer doomsday fatigue stayed in bed and slept it off instead of doing things like getting on a plane to escape to somewhere else or driving around in fat SUVs, and those who understand what's going on actually did what's most effective to avert disasters," writes Horst. "Doomsday fatigue is real (also under other names like 'collapse awareness'), but it can and should be worked through," writes Alex. "When facing the environmental facts, it is useful to think of the stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance. 'Acceptance' does not mean being happy about problems, it means being able to face them unblinking, go on doing what we can to make things better, appreciating what we've got." Noting he's enduring an Antarctic winter blast, Paul writes: "I think because everything is excessively hyped up, people just don't know how to gauge the degree of concern they should have over any particular issue. For an issue to break through the malaise, it takes something extraordinary and unexpected to happen - a wake-up call. Unfortunately, these days, that means a truly devastating event. That's the scary thing." This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it. And, let's face it, so would you. We all knew it was coming but when it did, so publicly and in real time, the break-up was spectacular. The world's richest man and the world's most powerful, slugging it out for all to see, both diminished by the ugliness of the spectacle. Reality TV was never this compelling. No episode of Big Brother, Survivor or Married at First Sight has or will ever come close. Nor will it ever be this expensive to make. Elon Musk's US$300 million investment in Donald Trump's election campaign up in smoke in the course of an Oval Office appearance by the president, who with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz seated beside him like an embarrassed extra, unloaded on his former "first buddy". Not only that. Billions were wiped off his wealth as Tesla shares tanked by 14 per cent. One estimate was that Musk's personal net wealth tumbled by US$34 billion. In one day. Musk, the MAGA darling, one minute, a pariah the next. Long-time Trump acolyte Steve Bannon called for Musk's deportation. Trump himself threatened to cancel multibillion-dollar contracts with Musk's SpaceX, claimed Elon had "gone crazy". All because the billionaire publicly opposed Trump's spending bill with its tax cuts for the wealthy and an additional US$2.42 trillion in debt over the next decade. Musk himself called for Trump to be impeached, for JD Vance to replace him. He posted without evidence that Trump featured in the unreleased and, without doubt, sordid Jeffrey Epstein files. If it was dizzying stuff for casual viewers on the other side of the world, imagine what it was like for Merz, sitting in the rococo nightmare of the revamped Oval Office in front of the world's media, having just been informed by Trump that D-day was not a pleasant day for Germany. Some small talk. Then to have to sit through Trump's Musk tirade, maintaining a facial expression of dignified neutrality. After Zelenskyy's dressing down and South Africa's Cyril Ramaphosa's enduring of discredited white genocide claims, it's time world leaders stopped beating a path to the Oval Office door. They should not allow themselves to be used as props in the trashy Trump show. Show some dignity, people. Time is a precious commodity, especially for the leaders of nations. The last thing they need is to waste it enduring incomprensible monologues from a president who has a loose arrangement with the plot. When Trump was bloviating about Russia and Ukraine being like two children fighting in a park - sometimes you have to let them fight before pulling them apart, he told the chancellor - Merz showed incredible self-control by not looking at his watch. Having seen a procession of leaders displayed like trophies in the Oval Office, the host basking in all the attention, often treating them rudely, those seeking an audience ought to be careful about what they wish for. It's unlikely Friedrich Merz thought he'd get a front row seat to the unholy tantrum that was the Musk-Trump break-up. Also unlikely he'd hurry back for more of the same. HAVE YOUR SAY: Should world leaders maintain their dignity by declining audiences with Donald Trump? Do they risk becoming extras in Trump's trashy reality show? Are they pandering to his ego by beating a path to his door? Would ignoring Trump better serve their interests? Email us: echidna@ SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: - An Australian man detained in an Iraqi prison for nearly four years has been released on bail. Engineer Robert Pether was granted conditional release after being detained on misrepresentation and fraud charges. - Families of six children killed in a primary school jumping castle accident in Tasmania are angry and in disbelief after a court dismissed a workplace safety charge against its operator. - Armed with bollards and bravery, French nationals Damien Guerot and Silas Despreaux confronted Joel Cauchi amid his stabbing rampage at a busy mall in broad daylight where he killed six dead in five minutes. They were awarded the Ordre National du Merite, one of France's highest distinctions, for their courageous efforts on April 13, 2024. THEY SAID IT: "Nothing is more despicable than respect based on fear." - Albert Camus YOU SAID IT: When problems are always presented as insurmountable, we stop looking for solutions, falling victim to doomsday fatigue, wrote Garry. "I wish, those who suffer doomsday fatigue stayed in bed and slept it off instead of doing things like getting on a plane to escape to somewhere else or driving around in fat SUVs, and those who understand what's going on actually did what's most effective to avert disasters," writes Horst. "Doomsday fatigue is real (also under other names like 'collapse awareness'), but it can and should be worked through," writes Alex. "When facing the environmental facts, it is useful to think of the stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance. 'Acceptance' does not mean being happy about problems, it means being able to face them unblinking, go on doing what we can to make things better, appreciating what we've got." Noting he's enduring an Antarctic winter blast, Paul writes: "I think because everything is excessively hyped up, people just don't know how to gauge the degree of concern they should have over any particular issue. For an issue to break through the malaise, it takes something extraordinary and unexpected to happen - a wake-up call. Unfortunately, these days, that means a truly devastating event. That's the scary thing." This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it. And, let's face it, so would you. We all knew it was coming but when it did, so publicly and in real time, the break-up was spectacular. The world's richest man and the world's most powerful, slugging it out for all to see, both diminished by the ugliness of the spectacle. Reality TV was never this compelling. No episode of Big Brother, Survivor or Married at First Sight has or will ever come close. Nor will it ever be this expensive to make. Elon Musk's US$300 million investment in Donald Trump's election campaign up in smoke in the course of an Oval Office appearance by the president, who with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz seated beside him like an embarrassed extra, unloaded on his former "first buddy". Not only that. Billions were wiped off his wealth as Tesla shares tanked by 14 per cent. One estimate was that Musk's personal net wealth tumbled by US$34 billion. In one day. Musk, the MAGA darling, one minute, a pariah the next. Long-time Trump acolyte Steve Bannon called for Musk's deportation. Trump himself threatened to cancel multibillion-dollar contracts with Musk's SpaceX, claimed Elon had "gone crazy". All because the billionaire publicly opposed Trump's spending bill with its tax cuts for the wealthy and an additional US$2.42 trillion in debt over the next decade. Musk himself called for Trump to be impeached, for JD Vance to replace him. He posted without evidence that Trump featured in the unreleased and, without doubt, sordid Jeffrey Epstein files. If it was dizzying stuff for casual viewers on the other side of the world, imagine what it was like for Merz, sitting in the rococo nightmare of the revamped Oval Office in front of the world's media, having just been informed by Trump that D-day was not a pleasant day for Germany. Some small talk. Then to have to sit through Trump's Musk tirade, maintaining a facial expression of dignified neutrality. After Zelenskyy's dressing down and South Africa's Cyril Ramaphosa's enduring of discredited white genocide claims, it's time world leaders stopped beating a path to the Oval Office door. They should not allow themselves to be used as props in the trashy Trump show. Show some dignity, people. Time is a precious commodity, especially for the leaders of nations. The last thing they need is to waste it enduring incomprensible monologues from a president who has a loose arrangement with the plot. When Trump was bloviating about Russia and Ukraine being like two children fighting in a park - sometimes you have to let them fight before pulling them apart, he told the chancellor - Merz showed incredible self-control by not looking at his watch. Having seen a procession of leaders displayed like trophies in the Oval Office, the host basking in all the attention, often treating them rudely, those seeking an audience ought to be careful about what they wish for. It's unlikely Friedrich Merz thought he'd get a front row seat to the unholy tantrum that was the Musk-Trump break-up. Also unlikely he'd hurry back for more of the same. HAVE YOUR SAY: Should world leaders maintain their dignity by declining audiences with Donald Trump? Do they risk becoming extras in Trump's trashy reality show? Are they pandering to his ego by beating a path to his door? Would ignoring Trump better serve their interests? Email us: echidna@ SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: - An Australian man detained in an Iraqi prison for nearly four years has been released on bail. Engineer Robert Pether was granted conditional release after being detained on misrepresentation and fraud charges. - Families of six children killed in a primary school jumping castle accident in Tasmania are angry and in disbelief after a court dismissed a workplace safety charge against its operator. - Armed with bollards and bravery, French nationals Damien Guerot and Silas Despreaux confronted Joel Cauchi amid his stabbing rampage at a busy mall in broad daylight where he killed six dead in five minutes. They were awarded the Ordre National du Merite, one of France's highest distinctions, for their courageous efforts on April 13, 2024. THEY SAID IT: "Nothing is more despicable than respect based on fear." - Albert Camus YOU SAID IT: When problems are always presented as insurmountable, we stop looking for solutions, falling victim to doomsday fatigue, wrote Garry. "I wish, those who suffer doomsday fatigue stayed in bed and slept it off instead of doing things like getting on a plane to escape to somewhere else or driving around in fat SUVs, and those who understand what's going on actually did what's most effective to avert disasters," writes Horst. "Doomsday fatigue is real (also under other names like 'collapse awareness'), but it can and should be worked through," writes Alex. "When facing the environmental facts, it is useful to think of the stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance. 'Acceptance' does not mean being happy about problems, it means being able to face them unblinking, go on doing what we can to make things better, appreciating what we've got." Noting he's enduring an Antarctic winter blast, Paul writes: "I think because everything is excessively hyped up, people just don't know how to gauge the degree of concern they should have over any particular issue. For an issue to break through the malaise, it takes something extraordinary and unexpected to happen - a wake-up call. Unfortunately, these days, that means a truly devastating event. That's the scary thing." This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it. And, let's face it, so would you. We all knew it was coming but when it did, so publicly and in real time, the break-up was spectacular. The world's richest man and the world's most powerful, slugging it out for all to see, both diminished by the ugliness of the spectacle. Reality TV was never this compelling. No episode of Big Brother, Survivor or Married at First Sight has or will ever come close. Nor will it ever be this expensive to make. Elon Musk's US$300 million investment in Donald Trump's election campaign up in smoke in the course of an Oval Office appearance by the president, who with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz seated beside him like an embarrassed extra, unloaded on his former "first buddy". Not only that. Billions were wiped off his wealth as Tesla shares tanked by 14 per cent. One estimate was that Musk's personal net wealth tumbled by US$34 billion. In one day. Musk, the MAGA darling, one minute, a pariah the next. Long-time Trump acolyte Steve Bannon called for Musk's deportation. Trump himself threatened to cancel multibillion-dollar contracts with Musk's SpaceX, claimed Elon had "gone crazy". All because the billionaire publicly opposed Trump's spending bill with its tax cuts for the wealthy and an additional US$2.42 trillion in debt over the next decade. Musk himself called for Trump to be impeached, for JD Vance to replace him. He posted without evidence that Trump featured in the unreleased and, without doubt, sordid Jeffrey Epstein files. If it was dizzying stuff for casual viewers on the other side of the world, imagine what it was like for Merz, sitting in the rococo nightmare of the revamped Oval Office in front of the world's media, having just been informed by Trump that D-day was not a pleasant day for Germany. Some small talk. Then to have to sit through Trump's Musk tirade, maintaining a facial expression of dignified neutrality. After Zelenskyy's dressing down and South Africa's Cyril Ramaphosa's enduring of discredited white genocide claims, it's time world leaders stopped beating a path to the Oval Office door. They should not allow themselves to be used as props in the trashy Trump show. Show some dignity, people. Time is a precious commodity, especially for the leaders of nations. The last thing they need is to waste it enduring incomprensible monologues from a president who has a loose arrangement with the plot. When Trump was bloviating about Russia and Ukraine being like two children fighting in a park - sometimes you have to let them fight before pulling them apart, he told the chancellor - Merz showed incredible self-control by not looking at his watch. Having seen a procession of leaders displayed like trophies in the Oval Office, the host basking in all the attention, often treating them rudely, those seeking an audience ought to be careful about what they wish for. It's unlikely Friedrich Merz thought he'd get a front row seat to the unholy tantrum that was the Musk-Trump break-up. Also unlikely he'd hurry back for more of the same. HAVE YOUR SAY: Should world leaders maintain their dignity by declining audiences with Donald Trump? Do they risk becoming extras in Trump's trashy reality show? Are they pandering to his ego by beating a path to his door? Would ignoring Trump better serve their interests? Email us: echidna@ SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: - An Australian man detained in an Iraqi prison for nearly four years has been released on bail. Engineer Robert Pether was granted conditional release after being detained on misrepresentation and fraud charges. - Families of six children killed in a primary school jumping castle accident in Tasmania are angry and in disbelief after a court dismissed a workplace safety charge against its operator. - Armed with bollards and bravery, French nationals Damien Guerot and Silas Despreaux confronted Joel Cauchi amid his stabbing rampage at a busy mall in broad daylight where he killed six dead in five minutes. They were awarded the Ordre National du Merite, one of France's highest distinctions, for their courageous efforts on April 13, 2024. THEY SAID IT: "Nothing is more despicable than respect based on fear." - Albert Camus YOU SAID IT: When problems are always presented as insurmountable, we stop looking for solutions, falling victim to doomsday fatigue, wrote Garry. "I wish, those who suffer doomsday fatigue stayed in bed and slept it off instead of doing things like getting on a plane to escape to somewhere else or driving around in fat SUVs, and those who understand what's going on actually did what's most effective to avert disasters," writes Horst. "Doomsday fatigue is real (also under other names like 'collapse awareness'), but it can and should be worked through," writes Alex. "When facing the environmental facts, it is useful to think of the stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance. 'Acceptance' does not mean being happy about problems, it means being able to face them unblinking, go on doing what we can to make things better, appreciating what we've got." Noting he's enduring an Antarctic winter blast, Paul writes: "I think because everything is excessively hyped up, people just don't know how to gauge the degree of concern they should have over any particular issue. For an issue to break through the malaise, it takes something extraordinary and unexpected to happen - a wake-up call. Unfortunately, these days, that means a truly devastating event. That's the scary thing."
Sky News AU
7 hours ago
- Sky News AU
Donald Trump and Elon Musk must continue making progress together for good of the United States
The relationship between President Donald Trump and tech titan Elon Musk factors among the most consequential political relationships in American history and it must be repaired, quickly, for the good of the United States and the continued support of the Republican Party base. There is too much at stake in America today for their division to disrupt the process of the MAGA movement in reversing the incredible harms that were wrought on the country and the world by the Biden Administration. Five months into Trump's second term in the White House, he has taken the country by storm with a string of major accomplishments that, a year ago, most in the country despaired could never be achieved. As a result, his approval rating has reached its highest point in months, Americans are expressing greater satisfaction with the direction of the country than at any time in recent history, and Democrats have fallen even deeper into disarray. The public feud between the president and Musk threatens to upend the successes of the Trump Administration and create an opening for Democrats to regroup and take advantage of a fractured MAGA movement. The rift originated from a spending bill recently passed by the House of Representatives, which Trump is now promoting and referring to as the 'big beautiful bill.' It will soon go up for a vote in the Senate. Just days after the president gave him a celebratory farewell at the Oval Office, Musk wrote on X, 'I'm sorry, but I just can't stand it anymore. This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination. Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it.' In a subsequent post, Musk threatened that 'we fire all politicians who betrayed the American people' by supporting the bill. House Speaker Mike Johnson and the White House have closed ranks around the legislation, touting it as the best solution to reform government while extending Trump's tax cuts. But Musk's criticisms have emboldened other Republicans who believe the bill is anything but conservative and will only further help to bankrupt a nation that is already $37 trillion in debt. Congressman Thomas Massie voted against the bill, along with three other House Republican colleagues, because it would add $2.4 trillion to the federal deficit and raise the debt ceiling by trillions. Now, amid Musk's criticisms of the legislation, it appears to be "losing momentum" on the Senate side. Musk took his criticisms beyond just the spending bill: He claimed that Trump was in the Epstein files and that's why they haven't been released to the public. In response to the attacks, Trump said the relationship with Musk is over. The impacts of the Trump-Musk relationship ending badly could be catastrophic. Musk's influence in today's MAGA movement cannot be overstated, and it should not be underappreciated. The billionaire played a bigger role in electing Trump president than anyone other than Trump. His visibility on the campaign and in the administration, as well as his recent commitment to supporting and funding right-of-center candidates, has made him a superstar in the MAGA community. Even Vice President JD Vance, a Trump loyalist, conceded in an interview that he "understands" Musk's frustration with the spending bill. Musk was instrumental in convincing Trump to choose Vance as his running mate, and when the Trump-Musk spat spilled out into the open, Musk indicated support for a viewpoint circulating on X that Vance should take over as president. Vance also knows that Elon's deep pockets could be critical in helping him clinch the MAGA mantel as the GOP candidate for president when Trump's second term concludes. Musk's influence is not limited to donation-seeking politicians. A massive base of conservative supporters, many of them young voters, follow him zealously. Nearly 70 per cent of young men have a favorable view of Musk. Now many of those supporters are defending Musk on X, and in the process criticising the president. Ask an average voter to name one figure in the country who is most symbolic of the MAGA movement, and they will either name Trump… or Musk. By publicly clashing, and forcing supporters to choose a side, Trump and Musk risk disunifying the Republican Party—and that's just what the Democrats and their allies in the mainstream media want. Since Musk's first combative post on X challenging Trump's spending bill, the feud has dominated news coverage and commentary. At this moment, the country is no longer talking about the administration's tremendous wins at the southern border, its accomplishments in returning safety to America's streets, the de-weaponisation of our Department of Justice, or its courageous efforts to bring manufacturing back the United States. Instead, the media can keep viewers' and readers' blood pressure high with incessant headlines about division, confusion, and 'chaos!' While the Democratic Party may be foundering and at a loss for a strategy to defeat the GOP in 2028, this is the media's strategy: to distract the public from Trump's wins, while compelling Americans to feel anxious and exhausted by a constant perception that Washington is disorganised and full of mayhem. Then, the Democrats can enter stage left and urge voters to elect them on the platform of an ostensible 'return to normalcy,' unity, and order. The White House likely made a mistake by allowing Musk to have so much visibility in the administration at the beginning. It was obvious from the start that while Trump and Musk were aligned on many fronts, there were many points of difference that would be impossible to reconcile despite their desire to collaborate. All of that, plus there were obvious concerns to be had about the risks and pitfalls of putting the world's most powerful man and the world's richest man in the same building from day to day. But for Trump and Musk to end the relationship in this way, and to do so while trashing each other publicly no less, is a grave mistake. Both men have unique and vitally important abilities to offer the country. Democrats significantly eroded the quality of life in the United States under the Biden Administration. More than 10 million illegal immigrants came through our open border, bringing drugs and crime. Millions of Americans worried about filling their cars with gas or buying groceries for their families due to inflation. Violent crime skyrocketed in American cities and towns. Leftists used lawfare to target and imprison their political enemies. We cannot afford to return to those dark days. Trump and Musk must bury the hatchet now and continue making progress together.
