Latest news with #JamesFishback
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Elon Musk Deletes Tweet Linking Trump to ‘Epstein Files'
Former 'First Buddy' Elon Musk has deleted a spate of explosive tweets in which he claimed President Donald Trump 'is in the Epstein files.' He added in the since-scrubbed June 5 tweet, 'That is the real reason they have not been made public.' He then promised, 'Mark this post for the future. The truth will come out.' The dramatic claim came amid Musk's nearly three-day blitzkrieg attack against Trump, urging Congress to 'kill' the MAGA head's 'big beautiful bill,' ripping it as 'ugly and 'pork-filled,' and suggesting Trump should be impeached again for his plan to add an estimated $2.4 trillion to the federal deficit through the megabill. Yet Musk appears to have reset and climbed out of his 'Trump Derangement Syndrome,' as the president labeled it, amid MAGA's calls for the billionaire to make amends with the Republican president. Investor and former DOGE architect James Fishback—who told Politico that he left the so-called department amid the Trump-Musk feud—tweeted Friday that Musk owed Trump a 'full-throated apology.' He added, 'And every hour you delay, it'll make an eventual apology less sincere.' Amid disagreements on policy between the Trump and Musk, Fishback said Musk 'should not have baselessly and personally attacked him.' Musk used Fishback's tweet as an opportunity to share his side, writing in successive comments under the post: 'What's the apology for exactly.' He added, 'Be precise,' declaring, 'I will apologize profusely as soon as there is a full dump of the Epstein files.' Musk's comments under the post have also since been deleted. Keeping the pressure on Musk, Fishback followed up by sharing his Friday appearance on CNN with two specific directives on why the Tesla CEO should apologize to Trump. 'First, randomly calling for the impeachment of the duly elected President of the United States over a policy disagreement,' Fishback wrote. 'Second, and it just pains me to bring this up, is the slanderous accusation that somehow the President of the United States was a co-conspirator in a multi-decade sex trafficking ring of minors.' Attempting to play peacekeeper, Fishback added that it was 'not okay' for Musk to drag Trump 'in the mud' with 'scumbag' Epstein. 'As Americans, we are allowed to disagree on the substance of the issue—but ad hominem attacks have no place in the public square,' Fishback wrote. Another commentator added, 'The Epstein comment went too far, whether it is true or not.' However, other commentators weren't convinced Musk owed Trump anything at all. 'He owes Trump exactly nothing,' commented X user John Roush under Fishback's post. 'He made the mistake of believing Trump's talk about reigning in spending, agreed to try and help, ended up becoming one of the most reviled men in America, and then found out that Trump doesn't give a damn about spending & was just using him as an election prop.' Rumors have swirled that White House aides have set up a deescalation call between Trump and Musk. Despite this, BBC News reported that the president is 'not interested' in making up with Musk.
The Herald
3 days ago
- Business
- The Herald
Trump says he has no plans to speak to Musk as feud persists
The White House statements came one day after the two men battled openly in an extraordinary display of hostilities that marked a stark end to a close alliance. Tesla stock rose on Friday, clawing back some losses from Thursday's session, when it dropped 14% and lost $150bn (R2.6-trillion) in value, the largest single-day decline in the company's history. Musk's high-profile allies have largely stayed silent during the feud. But one, investor James Fishback, called on Musk to apologise. 'President Trump has shown grace and patience at a time when Elon's behaviour is disappointing and frankly downright disturbing,' Fishback said. Musk, the world's richest man, bankrolled a large part of Trump's 2024 presidential campaign. Trump named Musk to head a controversial effort to downsize the federal workforce and slash spending. Trump feted Musk at the White House a week ago as he wrapped up his role as head of the department of government efficiency. Musk cut only about half of 1% of total spending, far short of his brash plans to axe $2-trillion (R355-trillion) from the federal budget. Since then, Musk has denounced Trump's tax-cut and spending bill as a 'disgusting abomination'. His opposition is complicating efforts to pass the bill in Congress where Republicans hold a slim majority. Trump's bill narrowly passed the House of Representatives last month and is now before the Senate, where Republicans say they will make further changes. Non-partisan analysts say the measure would add $2.4-trillion (R42.6-trillion) in debt over 10 years. House speaker Mike Johnson said he has been texting with Musk and hopes the dispute is resolved quickly. 'I don't argue with him about how to build rockets and I wish he wouldn't argue with me about how to craft legislation and pass it,' Johnson said on CNBC.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Who is James Fishback? Doge architect steps away the moment Musk feuds with Trump; says 'it's time for Tesla CEO to apologize'
James Fishback James Fishback, the principal architect of the "DOGE checks" initiative, announced on Friday his withdrawal from the movement following Elon Musk's criticism of Donald Trump and demanded that Tesla CEO apologise to the President. "I believed in Elon Musk's vision to shrink government and make it work better for Americans. I'm proud of the DOGE Dividend proposal I developed and will keep working with the administration to return savings to taxpayers." Fishback said. "The truth is that Elon set expectations that he relayed to the President, me, and the country that he did not come close to fulfilling. That's disappointing, but okay. What's not okay is his baseless personal attacks against President Trump," he added. Praising President Trump, Fishback said that he is a once-in-a-century leader. He also said that the president won the popular vote, the Electoral College, and all seven swing states by championing the priorities in his Big Beautiful Bill which Musk said that he wants to 'kill.' President Trump has shown grace and patience at a time when Elon's behavior is disappointing and frankly downright disturbing, Fishback said and demanded aplology from Musk. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 2 BHKs starts at ₹ 72.6 Lakh | No Floor rise | Zero PLC Mahindra Happinest Tathawade Get Quote Undo He said, "It's time for Elon to apologize to the President and his family, cool off, and get back to work on inventing the future at Tesla and SpaceX." Who is James Fishback? The founder of the investment firm, aged 30, was raised by a bus driver and a Colombian immigrant. He left Georgetown University to start a hedge fund when he was 21, as reported by MarketWatch. According to the LinkedIn profile, in his professional journey includes working at Greenlight Capital in 2021, followed by establishing Azoria in 2023, where he currently holds the CEO position. Additionally, he leads Incubate Debate, a non-profit organisation helping secondary school students develop debating skills. Currently, he is involved in legal proceedings with Greenlight Capital. The company claims he misrepresented his position, whilst he has filed a countersuit for defamation. In December, he visited Trump's Mar-a-Lago to introduce Azoria Meritocracy ETF, which aims to invest in S&P 500 companies avoiding diversity, equity and inclusion practices. He has connections with former DOGE representative Vivek Ramaswamy and appeared on his podcast in November, Newsweek reported. Regarding the origin of the "DOGE Dividend" proposal, he revealed to Newsweek that the concept occurred to him during sleep. He stated, "It came to me in a dream. I woke up and called our Head of Research at Azoria, and we drafted the proposal during a two-hour lunch at Capital Grille." His "DOGE Dividends" concept aligns with his broader perspective of governmental rewards for citizens who identify wasteful expenditure. He stated, "... DOGE can save even more and as a result deliver an even bigger DOGE Dividend check to hard-working Americans." The proposal indicates that approximately 79 million American households could receive direct payments for reporting inefficiencies, potentially leading to increased savings. Sceptics suggest that while the plan is ambitious, it could potentially increase inflation and might be perceived as politically motivated rather than genuine financial reform. Fishback, who established a self-described "free thinking" investment company, rose to prominence amongst conservatives when he suggested distributing $5,000 stimulus payments to American taxpayers, which would be funded through DOGE's anticipated government savings. Despite never officially becoming part of DOGE, Fishback's "DOGE checks" concept received endorsement from Musk on X and caught Trump's attention, who showed interest in a "DOGE dividend." In December, Fishback introduced his anti-woke investment fund at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate.
Wall Street Journal
3 days ago
- Business
- Wall Street Journal
Early DOGE Adviser Says Musk's Behavior Is ‘Disturbing'
A Florida investment manager who advocated for 'DOGE dividend checks' says Elon Musk should apologize to President Trump following their public feud. James Fishback, an early adviser to the Department of Government Efficiency who ultimately didn't join the DOGE team, said he was proud of his plan to provide $5,000 checks to Americans funded in part by the savings uncovered by DOGE. But he criticized Musk's 'baseless attacks' against Trump and called the Tesla and SpaceX leader's behavior 'downright disturbing.' Fishback said a DOGE dividend bill pushed by Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R., Fla.) has been put on hold until further notice given the hurdles surrounding the president's tax-and-spending plan, which Musk called a 'disgusting abomination.' Fishback's comments were first reported by Politico.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Are US taxpayers getting a 'DOGE dividend' check? Here's what we know about the idea floated by Trump and Musk
Back in February, James Fishback, founder and CEO of investment firm Azoria, proposed the idea of a 'DOGE dividend' on social media. It was an idea that caught the attention of Elon Musk. 'American taxpayers deserve a 'DOGE Dividend': 20% the money that DOGE saves should be sent back to hard-working Americans as a tax refund check,' Fishback posted on X. 'It was their money in the first place!' He went on to say that — with $2 trillion in savings from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and 79 million tax-paying households — this payment would work out to about $5,000 per household, 'with the remaining used to pay down the national debt.' Thanks to Jeff Bezos, you can now become a landlord for as little as $100 — and no, you don't have to deal with tenants or fix freezers. Here's how I'm 49 years old and have nothing saved for retirement — what should I do? Don't panic. Here are 5 of the easiest ways you can catch up (and fast) Nervous about the stock market in 2025? Find out how you can access this $1B private real estate fund (with as little as $10) DOGE chief Musk — who has since said he's stepping back from his role — responded by saying he'd share the idea with President Donald Trump. The president then promoted the idea onstage at a summit on Feb. 19. So, can you expect a DOGE dividend check any time soon? Fishback's proposal assumed that DOGE would achieve $2 trillion in cuts — but that doesn't appear likely. Indeed, DOGE has revised its savings goal a few times from $2 trillion to $1 trillion and now to $150 billion. If, however, DOGE was able to achieve $2 trillion in cuts, Fishback says 20% — or $400 billion — could then be divided among 79 million taxpaying households. That works out to $5,000 per household. But his DOGE dividend would only go to households above a certain income threshold (those who don't get a tax refund). In other words, lower-income Americans may not qualify. Many Americans who have an adjusted gross income of under $40,000 owe little or no federal income tax, 'especially after factoring in the effects of refundable tax credits, such as the child and earned-income credits,' according to the Pew Research Center. Fishback says this makes the DOGE dividend different from the stimulus checks sent out as part of the 2021 American Rescue Plan during the COVID-19 pandemic — in which he says checks were sent out 'indiscriminately,' according to NBC News. Read more: You're probably already overpaying for this 1 'must-have' expense — and thanks to Trump's tariffs, your monthly bill could soar even higher. Here's how 2 minutes can protect your wallet right now It's worth noting that a dividend isn't the same thing as a subsidy. A dividend is a distribution of profits by a corporation to its shareholders, while a stimulus check is a payment made by a government to its citizens in order to stimulate spending and boost consumer confidence during times of economic hardship. As of May 12, the DOGE website indicates that it's saved $170 billion through a 'combination of asset sales, contract/lease cancellations and renegotiations, fraud and improper payment deletion, grant cancellations, interest savings, programmatic changes, regulatory savings and workforce reductions.' The amount saved per taxpayer is $1,055.90. While this falls far short of the $2 trillion goal, several news organizations have also reported that DOGE has overstated some of those savings and published errors and misleading information. At the same time, DOGE could actually cost taxpayers $135 billion this fiscal year, according to an estimate from the Partnership for Public Service, a nonpartisan research and advocacy group for the federal workforce. This includes the costs associated with re-hiring mistakenly fired workers, lost productivity and paid leave for thousands of federal workers. 'The $135 billion cost to taxpayers doesn't include the expense of defending multiple lawsuits challenging DOGE's actions, nor the impact of estimated lost tax collections due to staff cuts at the IRS,' reports CBS News. Either way, not much has happened lately to carry the idea forward. A formal proposal has yet to be made in Congress. Even if Americans were to get a check, at this point, it seems unlikely to amount to much. Since DOGE has revised its savings from $2 trillion to $150 billion, 20% (or $30 billion) would mean a one-time DOGE dividend of around $380. At the same time, as of May 12, tariffs are expected to cost American households around $1,200 in 2025, according to estimates by the nonpartisan Tax Foundation. And that includes low-income households who wouldn't be eligible for Fishback's proposed DOGE dividend check in the first place. Want an extra $1,300,000 when you retire? Dave Ramsey says this 7-step plan 'works every single time' to kill debt, get rich in America — and that 'anyone' can do it Rich, young Americans are ditching the stormy stock market — here are the alternative assets they're banking on instead Robert Kiyosaki warns of a 'Greater Depression' coming to the US — with millions of Americans going poor. But he says these 2 'easy-money' assets will bring in 'great wealth'. How to get in now Here are 5 'must have' items that Americans (almost) always overpay for — and very quickly regret. How many are hurting you? This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. 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