Latest news with #politicalcontroversy
Gizmodo
16 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Gizmodo
What Side Are the ‘All-In Pod' Bros On?
When Donald Trump and Elon Musk finally had their big blowout last week, fans of the All-In podcast knew the next episode was going to be one to watch. There's just one little problem: The All-In boys didn't release a new episode like everyone expected this week. And folks on social media have noticed. The show features four incredibly wealthy men who are friends with Musk and have devoted themselves to carrying water for Trump. You've got Chamath Palihapitiya, Jason Calacanis, and David Friedberg, who all decided in the summer of 2024 to debase themselves in the name of supporting a fascist. They had Trump on the show and lobbed softball questions as Trump rambled about artificial intelligence and other topics he knew nothing about. The fourth host, David Sacks, went a step further, even joining the administration as the so-called 'crypto czar' after Trump's election win. So it makes sense that people would want to hear what these guys have to say about the current controversy, which started relatively small. Last week, Musk expressed frustration with the Republican budget bill for not cutting enough, Trump said he was disappointed in Musk, and then it was off to the races. Musk went nuclear claiming Trump was 'in the Epstein files,' a reference to the late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, and Trump said he might cancel Musk's contracts with the government. Musk relies on billions in government money to sustain his businesses, especially SpaceX. Things appear to have calmed down a bit, with Musk deleting some of his most incendiary tweets, including one suggesting Trump should be impeached and replaced by Vice President JD Vance. And Musk posted two American flags in a quote-tweet of Vance's post about Trump's leadership on Sunday, largely taken as a sign he's still solidly on Trump's side. But the relationship between the two men is clearly fractured. It's really hard to basically accuse someone of being a pedophile and then go right back to being besties, as the All-In hosts call themselves. But at the time of this writing, the All-In Guys haven't come together to talk about it. The last episode was published June 4 and it was an interview conducted by Friedberg with Jared Isaacman. It's an interesting thing to listen to, given the fact that Isaacman was dumped as Trump's pick to be the NASA administrator shortly after Musk's send-off from the Oval Office. The gist is that Isaacman thinks he was torpedoed by anti-Musk forces in the White House who got into Trump's ear about donations he previously made to Democrats. But Isaacman rightly pointed out that his old donations to Democrats were no secret. And it seems like after Musk and Trump's blowout, people who were anti-Musk saw their opportunity to pounce. Isaacman is a friend of Musk's and is more focused on getting to Mars rather than the Moon, much like Musk. And there are plenty of obvious assumptions that people have been making about how Musk would benefit by having his friend as the head of NASA, an agency that delivers enormous contracts to SpaceX. While the episode with Isaacman touched on the Musk-Trump drama, it didn't provide the gabby four-way conversation All-In listeners are used to hearing between Palihapitiya, Calacanis, Friedberg, and Sacks. Or at least a three-way conversation, given the fact that Sacks has been ducking out of episodes pretty frequently since he joined the administration. Sacks seems pretty uncomfortable anytime there's criticism of anything Trump is doing. Calacanis has always been the most Democratic-curious of the bunch, even if he bent the knee like everyone else during that ridiculous episode back in June 2024. And Sacks has been snippy at Calacanis on more than one occasion over the faintest hint of dissent on Trump's tariffs. What do these guys—'friends' of Musk and allies of Trump—have to say about the situation? Folks on social media would really like to know. And people are making lots of jokes about it. 'All-in podcast going dark this week like the news broadcast during a coup when the outcome isn't yet clear,' writer Matthew Zeitlin wrote on X. People have also taken to asking Grok what's holding everything up. But the AI doesn't have a definitive answer. 'It's tough to say definitively why the All-In podcast skipped this week's episode, as the hosts haven't shared an official reason,' Grok responded to one user Sunday. 'The timing suggests it could be tied to the Trump-Musk feud, a hot topic they'd likely cover given their focus on tech and politics. It's a sensitive issue, so they might be taking extra time to frame it carefully.' There are rumors floating around online that they actually recorded an episode and it's being suppressed for some reason. Who would be doing the suppressing isn't really clear, though Calacanis is most in the tank for Musk, and Sacks, being in the administration, is most supportive of Trump. There's also speculation that perhaps the hosts want to see if Musk and Trump actually reconcile in some meaningful way before they say anything. The four men are also fully capable of just diverting attention if that's the way they want to play it. They all are pretty skilled at saying things in a confident matter-of-fact way that listeners take as gospel if they don't actually know anything about the topics being discussed. During a recent discussion about Trump getting a free $400 million airplane from the government of Qatar, Palihapitiya tried to argue that it's simply Qatari culture to give lavish gifts and you're actually being insulting if you don't take bribes like that. 'There are customs, I guess, and who am I to judge these customs, that to us might seem excessive or untoward or maybe an attempt at graft, but to them is actually a sign of deep respect,' Palihapitiya said. Then he pivoted into asking why the media wasn't talking about more important things. Whatever happens with the next episode, people are going to be extremely disappointed if they don't address the elephant in the room. But there's nothing that's forcing them to talk about the thing that's staring them right in the face. After all, Musk accused Trump of being in the Epstein files, suggesting the billionaire oligarch was perfectly happy ignoring something morally inexcusable to get what he wanted. Allegedly. It's entirely possible the All-In guys just barely touch on the controversy in the most shallow way and move on.
ABC News
4 days ago
- Business
- ABC News
Elon Musk backed Donald Trump seconds after an assassination attempt. Now their relationship has turned ugly
On July 13, 2024, the world's richest man took to the social media platform he had bought himself and made a dramatic declaration. Seconds earlier, then-presidential candidate Donald Trump had been the victim of an attempted assassination. As Mr Trump — bleeding from the ear and raising a fist in the air — was rushed offstage by Secret Service agents, Tesla CEO Elon Musk officially endorsed him for president. "I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery," he wrote on X. The statement marked a controversial new era for both men. That age would come to an end just 10 months later — with Mr Musk, sporting a black baseball cap and a black eye to match, announcing his departure from the White House. This week, their partnership took its ugliest turn. This is far from the first time the two men have crossed paths or butted heads. During the 2016 election campaign, Mr Musk said in an interview he thought Mr Trump "was not the right guy". "He just doesn't seem to have the sort of character that reflects well on the United States," the South African-born tech chief told CNBC. At the time he said Mr Trump's opponent, Hillary Clinton, had the "right" economic policies. But just a month later — following Mr Trump's shock win on election night — he would accept a position on a federal advisory council alongside other Silicon Valley elites. More than 580 tech industry employees had already signed an open letter condemning the Trump administration's planned policies to collect data on minority groups. Mr Musk was not among them. He stepped down from his position on the president's advisory councils less than six months after being appointed. Mr Trump had just announced the US would withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement — a move he would repeat during his second term. He told followers on X — which he had yet to purchase at the time — he had done "all I can to advise directly to POTUS" and other White House officials. The decision, Mr Musk said, left him "no choice" but to walk away. By the end of Mr Trump's first term, he had again set his sights on rekindling the relationship with Mr Musk. The president marvelled at his SpaceX rockets in an 2020 interview with CNBC. "He likes rockets," Mr Trump told the outlet. "And he does good at rockets, too, by the way. "I never saw where the engines come down with no wings, no anything, and they're landing. I said, 'I've never seen that before.'" He dubbed Mr Musk one of the "great geniuses" of the modern age, "one of our very smart people". Two years later the relationship had soured again. Mr Musk, according to the then-presidential candidate, was "another bulls*** artist". Mr Trump, according to the Tesla CEO, needed to "hang up his hat and sail into the sunset". After ultimately being forced to follow through on his plan to buy Twitter — now X — Mr Musk reversed a ban on Mr Trump's account. As the campaign trail heated up, however, Mr Musk announced he would not be donating to any presidential candidate, and would not endorse the Republican or Democratic parties. The Pennsylvania assassination attempt appeared to change his mind. According to the Washington Post, Mr Musk would in just months become the biggest individual political donor of the 2024 election. Mr Musk made his first public appearance alongside the presidential candidate in August, jumping up on down on stage. "I'm not just MAGA," he told the crowd, referencing his black "Make America Great Again" cap. The number of public appearances and statements supporting the Trump campaign would only increase in the weeks leading up to election day. Mr Musk's America PAC launched a giveaway, giving away $US1 million ($1.54 million) a day to voters in swing states. The contest continued despite a legal challenge arguing it violated election laws. On election night, Mr Musk joined Mr Trump and other elite members of the campaign at the Mar-a-Lago resort. "Game, set and match," he wrote on X. Shortly after the sweeping win, Mr Trump announced a controversial new position for Mr Musk and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy. The two tech industry leaders were set to run "DOGE", the Department of Government Efficiency, with the name being a reference to one of Mr Musk's favourite online memes. "Together, these two wonderful Americans will pave the way for my administration to dismantle government bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure federal agencies," Mr Trump said. "Republican politicians have dreamed about the objectives of DOGE for a very long time. "Importantly, we will drive out the massive waste and fraud which exists throughout our annual $6.5 trillion dollars of government spending." Mr Ramaswamy would walk away from the project within weeks. His departure left the president's new "first buddy" undeterred. Mr Trump did not always appear comfortable with the public scrutiny regarding their close relationship. Just a month before his second inauguration, Mr Trump referenced growing complaints about Mr Musk's role at a public appearance in Arizona. "No, he's not taking the presidency," he said in December. "No, no, that's not happening." Meanwhile reports by White House insiders and former campaigners swirled that the then president-elect had become "annoyed" with Mr Musk. The tech CEO had sparked a "civil war" between himself and high-profile MAGA allies over H1B visas, which are short-term visas given out to foreign workers, often by tech companies, for specialised US jobs. A controversial gesture made on stage at a post-inauguration event by Mr Musk also stole headlines internationally. His son, then-three-year-old X, appeared to shush the president in the Oval Office, seeming to tell him to "shush your mouth" in video taken by media. Mr Musk took to the stage again at a conservative conference wielding a bedazzled "chainsaw for democracy". The Trump administration was forced to argue in court that Mr Musk was not the "head" of DOGE, and US political media outlets reported on numerous behind-the-scenes clashes with White House officials. Mr Musk was simultaneously facing turmoil outside the White House — by March Tesla shares had lost more than 50 per cent of their market value. The company had hit its longest streak of losses since its debut on 2010, with the sharp decline linked to the Trump administration's rapidly changing tariff plans. In an apparent attempt to throw a lifeline to his "best buddy", Mr Trump turned the White House's South Lawn into a temporary Tesla showroom. He personally inspected five vehicles in front of media, declaring them "beautiful". "The one I like is that one, and I want the same colour," he said, pointing to a red car. Mr Trump declared on his Truth Social platform he would buy Tesla. Days later during a Fox News interview, Mr Musk became emotional when asked about the performance of his companies. Asked how he managed multiple businesses and his government role, he said: "With great difficulty." At the same time, DOGE was facing widespread criticism for a lack of transparency and failure to reach its stated savings goals. The advisory body has defunded multiple programs and made mass lay-offs, citing "fraud and abuse" and "woke" policies since it was first formed. By the end of May, Mr Musk would make a subdued departure. On May 30, Mr Musk arrived for a news conference at the Oval Office, sporting a black eye and a black DOGE cap. He told media the injury had occurred while playing rough with his youngest child. Arms crossed and head-down, he announced his time in the White House was over and accepted a golden key to the White House from the president. "Elon's really not leaving," Mr Trump said. The relationship between both men appeared to have fizzled out into quiet indifference — for a few days. Mr Musk then criticised Mr Trump's "Big, Beautiful Bill", a sweeping budget reconciliation bill to fast-track spending policy. The more than 1,000-page document, which he labelled "pork-filled" and "outrageous", would scrap electric vehicle subsidies among other changes. On Thursday night, local time, the fallout intensified on each of their social media platforms. On X, Mr Musk appeared to take credit for the election outcome. "Without me, Trump would have lost the election," he said. Mr Trump then declared on Truth Social he had asked Mr Musk to leave the White House. "Elon was 'wearing thin'," he said. "I asked him to leave, I took away his [electric vehicle] mandate that forced everyone to buy electric cars that nobody else wanted (that he knew for months I was going to do!), and he just went CRAZY! "The easiest way to save money in our budget, billions and billions of dollars, is to terminate Elon's government subsidies and contracts. "I was always surprised that Biden didn't do it!" Mr Musk labelled the accusations he went "crazy" as an "obvious lie", before hitting back with his own claims. "[Donald Trump] is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT!" The Trump administration has yet to respond to the allegation, which referred to documents relating to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein who died in a prison cell. Being mentioned in the files does not necessarily mean any wrongdoing. Mr Trump told media on Thursday he was "very disappointed" in Mr Musk. "Look, Elon and I had a great relationship," he said. "I don't know if we will anymore.
SBS Australia
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- SBS Australia
Eurovision begins amid political controversy
Eurovision begins amid political controversy Published 12 May 2025, 7:51 am Tens of millions of people will soon be glued to their screens for the world's most watched entertainment show. This year's theme for the Eurovision Song Contest is "United by Music" and is being held in Switzerland but a controversial inclusion has cast a shadow over the opening ceremony.
