If you saw it in a movie, you’d probably think it was cartoonishly implausible: an unelected billionaire, after effectively gaining influence, attaches himself to an American political leader and starts attending meetings with foreign leaders , huddled with members. of Congress, helps kill legislation for reasons that make no sense, weighs in on cabinet choices, and heads a powerless advisory panel that the political world pretends has real authority.
Meanwhile, leading government officials – who are actually elected into positions of authority – coordinate their policy efforts with this billionaire as if he were in a position of real influence.
But this is not the basis for an overwrought Hollywood script; it’s American politics as 2024 comes to a close. However, there is reason to believe that the public is not very impressed. A HuffPost report highlighted the latest public opinion poll regarding Elon Musk and his ties to Donald Trump:
Musk’s role in the still-nascent Trump administration is at least somewhat controversial among the public: a YouGov poll found that 48% of Americans had a favorable opinion of Musk, while 42% had an unfavorable opinion. The Associated Press found that the public was generally divided in their opinions of Musk, while a Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday found that a 53% majority of the public disapproves of Musk playing a prominent role in the Trump administration.
The Quinnipiac poll was of particular interest because of the clear wording of the question: “Do you approve or disapprove of Elon Musk playing a prominent role in the Trump administration?”
There was, predictably, a sharp partisan divide, but overall a 53% majority said they disapproved. (Among self-identified independent voters, the difference was 20 points: 57% disapproved, while 37% approved.)
The same national survey found that a 44% majority have an unfavorable opinion of the billionaire, but that only helped reinforce the larger point: the real public reservations are not about Musk personally, but rather his outsized role in the coming Republican government. (The Quinnipiac Poll surveyed 924 self-identified registered voters nationwide from December 12 to 16 and has a margin of error of +/- 3.2 percentage points.)
But for now, this public stance is being ignored: Ahead of this week’s government shutdown deadline, House Speaker Mike Johnson said he has been in regular contact with Musk, trying to convince him of the benefits of an emergency solution. spending bill as if the billionaire had a voice on Capitol Hill.
Those efforts have not been successful, but what matters is the fact that the Republican Party’s top official on Capitol Hill felt the need to appeal to an unelected billionaire for support.
The Louisiana congressman isn’t alone: Other Republican lawmakers are also reaching out to Musk in hopes of advancing their legislative priorities as well.
Democratic officials, meanwhile, have started calling the world’s richest person “President Elon Musk” and the country’s “shadow president,” and it’s hard to blame them under the circumstances.
Of course, Trump has a history of hating those who try to share his spotlight, and it’s not yet clear whether the president-elect will tolerate his billionaire friend generating as much attention as he wants for himself.
This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
