Saying Elon Musk is a polarizing figure would be a wild understatement. His slow shift from entrepreneur to right-wing political figure has been a terrifying journey to witness. From Tesla to his new position as head of the Department of Government Efficiency, Musk has captured the American people’s attention and held it hostage as he parades as a politician. Frankly, I’m sick and disgusted.
Donald Trump was lambasted for his wealth when he ran, but for some reason, Musk got a pass because he didn’t run for anything, he just leveraged his position to place himself in a seat of power right next to the president. Musk isn’t even an elected figure — he is a donor who has been given a position of power. He used mass amounts of wealth to buy his way into the cabinet. There was no development of trust in the American people and no aid given to constituents. He spent the election cycle funneling money into Trump’s campaign, and now he gets to reap the rewards in a position he didn’t earn but bought.
Very few people can measure up to Musk’s capital, but those who do now have a blueprint if they want to use it to gain political power. Buying power isn’t a new concept, but Musk has shown that it still works today. This is terrifying to anyone who possesses less money than him. How many people who don’t know the price of bread will control our laws?
Not to mention, Musk’s recent behavior shows how quickly he is willing to show the American public his true colors. On the same day of Trump’s inauguration, Musk finished a speech by performing a Nazi salute. Musk hasn’t been shy with bigotry in the past; recently he called on the German right-leaning party to “move past” regrets of the Holocaust. He is fanning the flames of a dangerous agenda to move the clock backward for minorities, and he gets away with it because the amount of wealth he wields intimidates most people from even taking a jab at him.
Musk has effectively undermined the U.S. democratic process while claiming that minorities and democratically elected candidates have done it first. He is a rich fascist who became rich not through hard work but through his father’s emerald mining, a claim he still denies. Musk isn’t an issue of the right versus the left — he is an issue of who we will allow in our government.
We cannot allow the crimes of the past to be forgotten, especially here, in Iowa, the beating heart of American democracy. Since Trump’s first presidency, the general public has become more and more receptive to politicians committing more and more unacceptable actions against others out of hatred and fear. This cannot be how we operate anymore. When a rich fascist claims actual government projects are wastes of his precious efficiency but receives grants from the government for his failed space company, we have to take a stand. Musk must be dealt with for what he is: another terrible man in a line of terrible men trying to undermine others’ rights because he cannot comprehend a human life outside of his tax bracket.
