U.S. President Donald Trump, in an interview with NBC News on Saturday, said there would be “serious consequences” if billionaire Elon Musk funds Democratic Party candidates to run against Republicans who vote for Trump’s sweeping tax-cut bill.

Trump declined to say what those consequences would be in the phone interview, and went on to add that he had not had discussions about whether to investigate Musk.

Asked if he thought his relationship with the Tesla and SpaceX CEO was over, Trump said, “I would assume so, yeah.”

  • Pnut@lemm.ee
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    3 hours ago

    We’ve had the quiet dictatorship. But what about the loud one?

  • Fingolfinz@lemmy.world
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    2 days ago

    Reality is fucking stupid as fuck right now. I think I’m going to mentally check out for a bit

        • pyre@lemmy.world
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          8 hours ago

          ok? still, that’s how you got into this, with people checking out. i didn’t say you did, since it wouldn’t make sense after you said you wanted to check out now. my point is that these cunts want to tire people enough to make them check out so they can do whatever they want without any pushback.

            • pyre@lemmy.world
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              7 hours ago

              dude, go fuck yourself. this is a public thread. if you don’t want comments don’t make public comments online.

                • pyre@lemmy.world
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                  3 hours ago

                  the what? what does being a hero have to do with anything? and “someone’s upset” is rich coming from the dude who immediately took things personally and started cursing defensively.

  • decapitae@sh.itjust.works
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    2 days ago

    Because in a functional democracy, threatening opposition is encouraged and often leads to a healthy society. /s

    • Phoenixz@lemmy.ca
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      9 hours ago

      He’d sorta have a point about people shouldn’t be able to just dump a few millions on elections to influence them, but since Elmo did literally that for trump it’s not only too late, it’s also hypocritical as shit

      Which makes sense because for Republicans it’s always them accusing Democrats of what they are doing themselves

      • fodor@lemmy.zip
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        8 hours ago

        I’m not worried about the hypocrisy here. I couldn’t give a f*** about Trump being hypocritical. But I care an awful lot that he’s threatening to do something terrible to someone he considers a political opponent.

  • apfelwoiSchoppen@lemmy.world
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    2 days ago

    The fact that a billionaire bought an election and can easily buy it again is so plain for all to see and it is repugnant. The rich shouldn’t be.

    • gAlienLifeform@lemmy.world
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      2 days ago

      If they take his money and then release a public statement calling him a nazi piece of shit who will never have any influence in their office I’d allow it. Bonus points if they promise Musk they won’t do that before doing it.

      Otherwise, yeah. Musk needs to be a Kanye level pariah at least for what he’s done.

    • pelespirit@sh.itjust.works
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      2 days ago

      I’m mixed on this. I understand the sentiment, but it probably depends on who they’re running against. If it’s a red state and they’re running against a republican, I would be fine with them taking the money.

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        2 days ago

        Musk is a nazi, as evidenced by his nazi salute earlier this year.

        Any democrat that accepts nazi money, it’s saying they’re fine with nazis, which makes them a nazi, because the only scum that’s fine with nazis, are other nazis.

        You can’t condemn nazi behavior while taking money from nazis, and allowing them to support you. You tell them to fuck all the way off, because the only thing a nazi deserves is the comfort of a grave.

        • teawrecks@sopuli.xyz
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          1 day ago

          as evidenced by his nazi salute earlier this year.

          I would say the more compelling evidence is the fact that his entire family wealth is a direct result of Apartheid, and now that it has earned him literal richest man in the world status, he uses that status to go out in public and, without a hint of irony, say that white people in South Africa are victims of racism.

        • vaultdweller013@sh.itjust.works
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          It’d be acceptable if they also invited him on stage and shot him dead. Take advantage of his comfort towards what he assumes is moral duplicity and stroke his ego a bit, then well kill him.

        • pelespirit@sh.itjust.works
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          2 days ago

          I see what you’re saying, but taking nazi money from a nazi to spend and then using it to do good in the world? It’s like an ethics trolley problem.

          • drzoidberg@lemmy.world
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            2 days ago

            Taking nazi money by seizing his assets is how you go about using nazi money, not by accepting the support of a nazi. If you’re accepting the support of a nazi, you’re no better than conservatives currently accepting the support of nazis.

            • pelespirit@sh.itjust.works
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              2 days ago

              I feel like that’s the best option and you’re right. I just don’t see that happening in America now or in the near future. The next best option is to do what the other poster said and say they will not be bought and won’t be doing anything he asks before they take the money. Also, again, they’re not going against another democrat.

              • drzoidberg@lemmy.world
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                2 days ago

                By accepting money from a nazi, they’re saying they can be bought by a nazi. It’s lobbying, and it’s why we file taxes for a return every year, why climate change is ignored, internet isn’t a utility, weed is federally illegal, and the fairness doctrine got chucked out the window.

                • LifeInMultipleChoice@lemmy.world
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                  1 day ago

                  That will win you a moral high ground and lose you an election thereby extending a fascist rule. Money wins elections. You can’t “sieze assets” when you aren’t in office. It’s delusional to think someone will be able to turn down money from the biggest donors and get into any position that will change something meaningful at this point. They need to make sure the money doesn’t have any strings attached to it, and get into office. Then make changes.

      • Bigfoot@lemm.ee
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        2 days ago

        Just ignore the labels for a second- would you prefer to vote for the nazi-funded candidate?

      • blitzen@lemmy.ca
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        2 days ago

        I wouldn’t say I’d be “fine” with them taking the money under any circumstance. But it’s never going to lead me to voting for repugnacans either directly or indirectly through abstaining.

        • pelespirit@sh.itjust.works
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          That’s what I’m afraid of, that this would lead people to vote 3rd party or republican. Republicans being split up would be great too.

          • blitzen@lemmy.ca
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            2 days ago

            I’d go so far as to say Musk donating to a democrat candidate may be done explicitly as a poison pill to reduce support from the base.

            • Zaktor@sopuli.xyz
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              2 days ago

              You can refuse donations. Or publicly disavow his support if it’s in the form of independently bought media.

      • drzoidberg@lemmy.world
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        2 days ago

        And you’re fine with nazis getting involved with the party? That’s some dumb fuck conservative double think.

        • FaceDeer@fedia.io
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          You really strongly believe in Citizens United, I guess? A dollar means nothing. It’s something you exchange for goods and services. If Musk gives a dollar to a Democratic candidate, he’s simply empowering that candidate. It’s not some kind of evil spell that instantly contaminates the candidate.

          Sheesh, no wonder American politics is such an irredeemable mess of authoritarianism.

          • ShoeThrower@lemmy.zip
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            Musk chooses who he gives money to. He’s not going to give money to Bernie, who’s currently rallying against oligarchs. Instead, he’s going to give it to the people who are willing to push his fascist agenda. In the last election that was conservatives, but it’s not like the liberals don’t have freaks of their own. Money and advertising spend largely determines election outcomes, so by giving cash to politicians he likes, he can literally buy elections. Very few politicians would turn down his cash if offered, because they want the advantage it would bring. They also just have a fetish for sucking the toes of large donors.

            • FaceDeer@fedia.io
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              2 days ago

              He’s buying a Democrat into power.

              If Musk donated money to an animal shelter would you conclude that puppies must be evil? Look at what’s being done, not who it’s being done by.

              • chemical_cutthroat@lemmy.world
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                I’d wonder what the shelter was going to do with the unadopted animals, yes. I’d infer they were probably going to his brain chip testing farm.

      • njm1314@lemmy.world
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        Brother there’s no amount of lesser of two evils that lets you pick a Nazi. That’s a fucking Line in the Sand.

          • njm1314@lemmy.world
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            If they’re on musk’s payroll that’s who you’re really voting for. Not even mentioning the fact that if you’re taking Nazi money well…

            • FaceDeer@fedia.io
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              So it’s trivial for Musk to decide who you vote for, then. You don’t care about the candidate’s position, just whose “team” he’s on.

              It’s kind of pathetic watching Americans continue sabotaging their chances of getting out of authoritarian control even now. What will it take to end that purity spiral?

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                2 days ago

                If you think voting for a guys who work for Nazis is how you get out of authoritarian control I don’t know what to tell you. Also musk isn’t the one deciding that there. The candidates are. If they show me that they’re Nazi sympathizers I’m not going to vote for them. If you find that to be a weird Line in the Sand for somebody then I find that really weird about you.

                I’ll say it again my Line in the Sand is nazis. If you think that’s a purity test fine I’m comfortable with that. That’s one that I’m proud to have.

                • FaceDeer@fedia.io
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                  I’ll say it again my Line in the Sand is nazis.

                  Right. Mine too. And supporting the Republican candidate in the upcoming elections means you’re supporting the nazi candidate.

                  The US is a two party system. If you don’t vote for one, you’re tacitly supporting the other. That’s how Trump got into power. I have no sympathy for people who continue to perpetuate his power.

      • blitzen@lemmy.ca
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        2 days ago

        It’s a fine line to walk. We do not want to support anyone who freely gets in bed with Musk, but draw too hard a line and we end up with worse (see supporters of Palestine and Biden/Harris/Trump.)

  • TotallynotJessica@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    I’m sure billionaires will be funding Democrats hard, which is why we need to treat the party like neo-feudalists from now on. No matter what they say, they cannot be trusted to do anything but further raid the working class. They’re more of a long term enemy than Trump, and we cannot give them an easy time. They will never be saviors, only new masters.

    • Ledericas@lemm.ee
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      they actually fund both, but they fund the gop more when they can get tax cuts, or thier investment wont get taxed to hell.

      • TotallynotJessica@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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        The game is fundamentally different now in a worse way. We’re looking at a future of neo feudal politicians once this fascist flame burns through the nation. The end of the US as a unified whole is a genuine possibility. Feudalists gaining control and creating a hellish dystopia with the power of the empire is the alternative. Post Trump America will be never be as successful a liberal democracy as 2024 America was, and 2024 America was absolutely bottom of the barrel.

        America needs to burn and probably will, but that will more likely to be awful than not. It will be a monumental lift to bring about a positive future.

  • mossberg590@lemmy.world
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    Musk is going to fund Republican candidates in the primaries, non-MAGA Republicans. The idea he would fund Dems is laughable. It will be interesting to see which way the Republicans go, money or MAGA.

    • Zenith@lemm.ee
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      Non maga repugs are terrified of Trump and won’t sand up to him though, there’s no reason to fund them either

  • mercano@lemmy.world
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    And, since the Supreme Court has ruled money = speech with the Citizens United ruling, Trump has just set Elon up for a First Amendment case if anything happens. One that the taxpayer will likely foot the bill to defend.

    • nickwitha_k (he/him)@lemmy.sdf.org
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      Threatening action as a government official is taking an action. Under the rules of CU, he has standing. Then again, the Roberts court doesn’t care about stare decisis or the letter of the law or the spirit of the law, just what can keep the grift flowing.

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    Trump doesn’t want to get blamed when Democrats start winning elections. If it happens Musk will gloat for credit and the finger pointers will say Trump should not have pissed off Musk.