Latest news with #DarkMaga
Sydney Morning Herald
3 days ago
- Politics
- Sydney Morning Herald
By fighting Musk for the dark soul of MAGA, Trump has finally met his match
Dark Maga has seen the light. In a plot twist eerily reminiscent of The Phantom Menace, (also known as the worst Star Wars movie ever made) Edgelord Elon Musk has joined the rebellion and declared war on Sith lord President Donald Trump over that most noble of causes – trade specifics. Their stoush over Trump's 'One Big Beautiful Bill Act' has erupted in such spectacular fashion that you can't help wondering if Musk knew what was coming and gave himself that black eye before entering the Oval Office a week ago, in perhaps DOGE's one true act of efficiency. Given their big, beautiful bromance, who could have foreseen this shocking turn of events? (Apart from Steve Bannon, John Kelly, Reince Priebus, Anthony Scaramucci or any of the other approximately half a gazillion high-level White House aides whose relationships with Trump went up in flames during the first year of the Trump 1.0 administration.) Since that farewell visit to the White House less than a week ago, the relationship between Musk and Trump has blown apart with the speed and ferocity of an exploding SpaceX Starship. Threats and counter threats have been thrown out in rapid succession: Musk calling for Trump's impeachment and implicating the president (without evidence) in Jeffrey Epstein's sordid affairs; Trump threatening to DOGE the Dogefather's SpaceX and Tesla contracts. I suspect, however, these will come to be seen as merely opening salvos in the true war to come: the fight for the heart and soul of MAGA. Musk has taken this fight to X, the spiritual homeland of Trump's base, posting a poll question that asked 'Is it time to create a new political party in America that actually represents the 80% in the middle?' At the time of writing it had already had 40 million views and 80 per cent of respondents had voted yes. Trump's support from the MAGA faithful has always been seen as unassailable, the movement inextricable from the man himself. But Trump has never been seriously attacked by anyone from within MAGA and certainly not by anyone of the stature of Musk. Of the major markers by which Trump measures success: wealth, business acumen and online followers, he is eclipsed in all three categories by Musk. Like all wars, if it continues it will come down to resources. In the Dark MAGA corner, Musk has his billions, his social media platform X and SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft, which is used to supply the International Space Station and transport NASA astronauts. Musk has already threatened to decommission Dragon, prompting Steve Bannon (playing the role of Ivana to Musk's Melania) to call for Trump to create an executive order to seize it. In the red MAGA corner, Trump controls the levers of government so has the power to cancel Musk's billion-dollar government contracts, and revoke his security clearance. However, a far more likely move would be for Trump to use his favourite tactic of lawfare against Musk, similar to the investigations that he ordered into Biden earlier this week.
The Age
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Age
By fighting Musk for the dark soul of MAGA, Trump has finally met his match
Dark Maga has seen the light. In a plot twist eerily reminiscent of The Phantom Menace, (also known as the worst Star Wars movie ever made) Edgelord Elon Musk has joined the rebellion and declared war on Sith lord President Donald Trump over that most noble of causes – trade specifics. Their stoush over Trump's 'One Big Beautiful Bill Act' has erupted in such spectacular fashion that you can't help wondering if Musk knew what was coming and gave himself that black eye before entering the Oval Office a week ago, in perhaps DOGE's one true act of efficiency. Given their big, beautiful bromance, who could have foreseen this shocking turn of events? (Apart from Steve Bannon, John Kelly, Reince Priebus, Anthony Scaramucci or any of the other approximately half a gazillion high-level White House aides whose relationships with Trump went up in flames during the first year of the Trump 1.0 administration.) Since that farewell visit to the White House less than a week ago, the relationship between Musk and Trump has blown apart with the speed and ferocity of an exploding SpaceX Starship. Threats and counter threats have been thrown out in rapid succession: Musk calling for Trump's impeachment and implicating the president (without evidence) in Jeffrey Epstein's sordid affairs; Trump threatening to DOGE the Dogefather's SpaceX and Tesla contracts. I suspect, however, these will come to be seen as merely opening salvos in the true war to come: the fight for the heart and soul of MAGA. Musk has taken this fight to X, the spiritual homeland of Trump's base, posting a poll question that asked 'Is it time to create a new political party in America that actually represents the 80% in the middle?' At the time of writing it had already had 40 million views and 80 per cent of respondents had voted yes. Trump's support from the MAGA faithful has always been seen as unassailable, the movement inextricable from the man himself. But Trump has never been seriously attacked by anyone from within MAGA and certainly not by anyone of the stature of Musk. Of the major markers by which Trump measures success: wealth, business acumen and online followers, he is eclipsed in all three categories by Musk. Like all wars, if it continues it will come down to resources. In the Dark MAGA corner, Musk has his billions, his social media platform X and SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft, which is used to supply the International Space Station and transport NASA astronauts. Musk has already threatened to decommission Dragon, prompting Steve Bannon (playing the role of Ivana to Musk's Melania) to call for Trump to create an executive order to seize it. In the red MAGA corner, Trump controls the levers of government so has the power to cancel Musk's billion-dollar government contracts, and revoke his security clearance. However, a far more likely move would be for Trump to use his favourite tactic of lawfare against Musk, similar to the investigations that he ordered into Biden earlier this week.
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Elon Musk ‘offered woman $15m to have his baby and keep it secret'
A woman who alleged Elon Musk fathered her baby said he offered her $15 million to keep the birth a secret. Ashley St Clair, 26, claimed the tech billionaire offered her the fee along with a $100,000 monthly stipend until the child reaches the age of 21 as part of a deal to muzzle her, according to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ). Mr Musk is thought to have at least 14 children with four women including the pop musician Grimes and Shivon Zilis, a Canadian executive at Neuralink, his neurotechnology firm. Jared Birchall, Mr Musk's right-hand man, told Ms St Clair that the deal was similar to what Mr Musk had agreed with the other mothers of his children, the report claims. The Tesla boss is said to have demanded she deliver the baby via caesarean section, believing the procedure allows for the child to develop a larger brain, and not to circumcise the baby if it was male. Ms St Clair, a conservative influencer, did follow through with his request to keep his name from the birth certificate, according to the newspaper. Mr Birchall is said to have demanded that the new mother sign an agreement keeping Mr Musk's paternity a secret in exchange for $15 million and $100,000 a month. The deal reportedly prevented her from saying anything negative about the billionaire, while Mr Musk was free to say what he wanted about her. According to the WSJ, in a December call with Ms St Clair, Mr Birchall said the non-disclosure agreements were necessary because: 'We have been through way too many issues where, to not sign some agreement associated with handing over $15 million is absolutely insane and irresponsible, and because we have dealt with some very unstable, mentally unstable, people that all of a sudden misremember things.' When she met Mr Musk, she was working for the conservative satirical website The Babylon Bee, a Christian, Right-wing version of The Onion. A regular guest on conservative news outlets, she has warned about declining birth rates in developed countries, a concern shared by many Republicans. Since the birth, she has filed a lawsuit claiming that Mr Musk is the father of her five-month-old son. Ms St Clair says there is no doubt about the paternity of the baby. In her lawsuit, she insisted that she 'did not have sexual intercourse with any other male during the time the child was conceived'. A paternity test has since found the 'probability of paternity' was 99.9999 per cent, according to the Wall Street Journal. Ironically, the WSJ reports Ms St Clair is credited with making the infamous Dark Maga gothic styled hat which Mr Musk has gone on to wear in the Oval Office. In other plans reported by the WSJ, Mr Musk is said to have tried to convince Ms St Clair to move to an Austin 'compound', where he hoped to house the rest of his 'kid legion'. The Doge chief addressed the baby rumours last month, writing on X: 'I don't know if the child is mine or not, but am not against finding out. No court order is needed.' Mr Musk's ever-growing brood of children has expanded once again after he confirmed the arrival of a new son named Seldon Lycurgus in March. The baby is believed to be his 14th child and the fourth he has had with Shivon Zilis, a Canadian executive at Neuralink, his neurotechnology firm. Elsewhere, the outlet reported that Mr Musk asked a woman he knew through X if she wanted to have a baby with him, and when she declined, the revenue she generated from the social media platform plummeted. Mr Musk is said to have taken an interest in cryptocurrency influencer Tiffany Fong, when she began writing on X about the downfall of Sam Bankman-Fried, who was found guilty of fraud and money laundering. Mr Musk began liking and replying to her posts and this engagement boosted her following, allowing her to begin making money as part of X's revenue sharing programme for creators. During the height of her time on the platform, Ms Fong claims to have earned $21,000 on the platform in a two-week period in November. Soon after following her, Mr Musk sent her a direct message asking if she was interested in having his child despite never meeting in person, according to the Wall Street Journal which reported that Ms Fong did not move forward with the proposal. Mr Musk allegedly discovered that Ms Fong had told others about his offer and subsequently unfollowed her, at which point her earnings nosedived. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
16-04-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Elon Musk ‘offered woman $15m to have his baby and keep it secret'
A woman who alleged Elon Musk fathered her baby said he offered her $15 million to keep the birth a secret. Ashley St Clair, 26, claimed the tech billionaire offered her the fee along with a $100,000 monthly stipend until the child reaches the age of 21 as part of a deal to muzzle her, according to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ). Mr Musk is thought to have at least 14 children with four women including the pop musician Grimes and Shivon Zilis, a Canadian executive at Neuralink, his neurotechnology firm. Jared Birchall, Mr Musk's right-hand man, told Ms St Clair that the deal was similar to what Mr Musk had agreed with the other mothers of his children, the report claims. The Tesla boss is said to have demanded she deliver the baby via caesarean section, believing the procedure allows for the child to develop a larger brain, and not to circumcise the baby if it was male. Ms St Clair, a conservative influencer, did follow through with his request to keep his name from the birth certificate, according to the newspaper. Mr Birchall is said to have demanded that the new mother sign an agreement keeping Mr Musk's paternity a secret in exchange for $15 million and $100,000 a month. The deal reportedly prevented her from saying anything negative about the billionaire, while Mr Musk was free to say what he wanted about her. According to the WSJ, in a December call with Ms St Clair, Mr Birchall said the non-disclosure agreements were necessary because: 'We have been through way too many issues where, to not sign some agreement associated with handing over $15 million is absolutely insane and irresponsible, and because we have dealt with some very unstable, mentally unstable, people that all of a sudden misremember things.' When she met Mr Musk, she was working for the conservative satirical website The Babylon Bee, a Christian, Right-wing version of The Onion. A regular guest on conservative news outlets, she has warned about declining birth rates in developed countries, a concern shared by many Republicans. Since the birth, she has filed a lawsuit claiming that Mr Musk is the father of her five-month-old son. Ms St Clair says there is no doubt about the paternity of the baby. In her lawsuit, she insisted that she 'did not have sexual intercourse with any other male during the time the child was conceived'. A paternity test has since found the 'probability of paternity' was 99.9999 per cent, according to the Wall Street Journal. Ironically, the WSJ reports Ms St Clair is credited with making the infamous Dark Maga gothic styled hat which Mr Musk has gone on to wear in the Oval Office. In other plans reported by the WSJ, Mr Musk is said to have tried to convince Ms St Clair to move to an Austin 'compound', where he hoped to house the rest of his 'kid legion'. The Doge chief addressed the baby rumours last month, writing on X: 'I don't know if the child is mine or not, but am not against finding out. No court order is needed.' Mr Musk's ever-growing brood of children has expanded once again after he confirmed the a rrival of a new son named Seldon Lycurgus in March. The baby is believed to be his 14th child and the fourth he has had with Shivon Zilis, a Canadian executive at Neuralink, his neurotechnology firm. Musk reportedly approached cryptocurrency influencer Elsewhere, the outlet reported that Mr Musk asked a woman he knew through X if she wanted to have a baby with him, and when she declined, the revenue she generated from the social media platform plummeted. Mr Musk is said to have taken an interest in cryptocurrency influencer Tiffany Fong, when she began writing on X about the downfall of Sam Bankman-Fried, who was found guilty of fraud and money laundering. Mr Musk began liking and replying to her posts and this engagement boosted her following, allowing her to begin making money as part of X's revenue sharing programme for creators. During the height of her time on the platform, Ms Fong claims to have earned $21,000 on the platform in a two-week period in November. Soon after following her, Mr Musk sent her a direct message asking if she was interested in having his child despite never meeting in person, according to the Wall Street Journal which reported that Ms Fong did not move forward with the proposal. Mr Musk allegedly discovered that Ms Fong had told others about his offer and subsequently unfollowed her, at which point her earnings nosedived.
Yahoo
01-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Dark Maga isn't a gateway to fascism. It's the ultimate joke against the joyless Left
'I'm not just Maga… I'm dark, gothic Maga'. When Elon Musk bounded onto stage to address a sold-out Madison Square Garden rally a week before the 2024 election, few outside of the Trump faithful would have had much clue what he was talking about. The reference was clear – the world's richest man was pointing to his black cap, with 'Make America Great Again' emblazoned in gothic font. But the meaning was still obscure. Was this a final warning of the jack-booted cruelty of Trump's 'semi-fascist' intentions should he win back the presidency? In a word, no. But 'Dark Maga' continues to fascinate supporters and detractors of the reinstalled President, and Musk continues to sport the hat, including at a Cabinet meeting this week. The concept emerged on social media, with Trump fans creating edgy content suitable for the tone of the 2024 campaign. Audio clips of Trump promising that 'If you f--- around with us... we're going to do things to you that have never been done before' (drawn from a Rush Limbaugh interview about Iran) were overlaid with monochrome, scowling images of the president. The Dark Maga tag soared in popularity after an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania. There was something providential about the president's return to power that made fertile ground for content creators: disgrace and exile, scheming advisors and backstabbing former allies, political persecution, an ailing opponent, a dramatic threat on Trump's life, a new coalition and a triumphant reclamation of the crown. It's a shame that the Democratic party has such a hold over the entertainment industry, because Trump's 2024 campaign would make a perfect Hollywood thriller. Of course, Hollywood is increasingly irrelevant in the internet age. Elon Musk understands this fact well; perhaps unsurprisingly, given that he bought a social media site. Being boxed out of the cultural mainstream forced the Right to get creative, providing more opportunities for those all-important viral feedback loops. For the extremely online fans of Trump, Dark Maga is simultaneously an earnest promise of retribution against the president's enemies and a tongue-in-cheek meme to be distributed among friends. But they were never the real audience: Dark Maga began as a chance to clown on Kamala Harris' corporate campaign of 'joy', exposing that the thin veneer of manufactured excitement disguised a real paranoia about the prospect of a second Trump term. Those who responded to Dark Maga with shrill denunciations of fascism just proved that they weren't in on the joke. This reversal of cultural fortunes was predictable: American politics was memeified long before Trump began posting MidJourney AI videos on his Truth Social account. There was a craze in the 1990s for slogan t-shirts of Bart Simpson made up as an Operation Desert Shield veteran ('I was there dude… and it sucked!!!'). Viral content focused on individual politicians thrived in the internet age, with mockery of Bush Jr's 'unique' vocabulary rallying his liberal opponents. But the Democratic party, with its self-seriousness and awkward presentation, was always destined to be the ultimate victims of online mockery. 2016 was the perfect meme election. Hillary Clinton was, as voters were ceaselessly reminded, the 'most qualified candidate ever' to run for president. She was the first female senator for New York, held office as Secretary of State under the Obama administration, and had acted as a healthcare campaigner in her role as First Lady during the Clinton Presidency. Donald Trump was a real estate magnate and reality TV star who announced his candidacy by descending a golden escalator. I'm inclined to believe Trump won on the basis of his policy positions, but there's no denying that his hilarious public appearances helped him on his way. A mutually beneficial media outrage cycle kept Trump on the airwaves and ratings high. A solution to the border crisis? A beautiful wall. Your border wall sounds impossible? Well, it just got 10 feet higher. Empty-suit party stooges trying to derail your campaign? Why not mock their 'hand' sizes, or say you'll throw them in jail. The more Clinton chafed at her campaign's demands to present herself as a human being, the more effective Trump's mockery became. Witness the spectacle of the author of the Libya intervention urging young voters to 'Pokemon GO… to the polls'. What is Dark Maga but a final two-fingers-up at the establishment that saw fit to label them 'a basket of deplorables'? Biden was generally lucky enough to avoid the stench of 'cringe' (a 2020 campaign conducted out of the view of voters may have helped), but his anointed successor was not. It's difficult to see how the Democrats can ever regain any cultural relevance: whingeing about fascism lost at the ballot box, and young Left-wing activists have been reduced to repackaging old jokes ('Dark Woke', anyone?). Perhaps the institutionalisation of Maga will render it boring. But for the foreseeable future, prepare for an endless cycle of triggering the libs, black Maga caps and all. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
