Elon Musk causes a stir at Capitol Hill, is the prototype of "Trump 2.0" emerging?

Trump 2.0 hasn't started yet, but Musk seems eager to reach into Congress, trying to give officials a warning.

Musk Causes a Stir in Congress, Twitter Strongly Intervenes in Politics

On Tuesday, House Speaker Mike Johnson reached a short-term agreement with Democrats on government spending, extending government funding until March next year to avoid a government shutdown. At the same time, to ensure political peace, Johnson made some concessions to Democrats and attached several bipartisan-supported bills.

However, the next day, Musk took the lead in attacking, launching a series of intense remarks on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) aimed at undermining this carefully negotiated plan.

He condemned it as "one of the worst bills ever" and threatened, "Any House or Senate member who votes for this outrageous spending bill should be voted out in two years," adding "angry" emojis to many of his tweets.

The effect was evident; soon after, Republican lawmakers began responding to Musk on X, claiming he had persuaded them to oppose the bill.

A few hours later, as Trump announced his opposition to the bipartisan plan, support for the spending plan quickly evaporated, and Republican lawmakers abandoned the agreement, putting the U.S. government on the brink of a shutdown.

It wasn't until Friday night that the House finally passed a new temporary spending bill, just hours before the midnight deadline...

Analysts believe that this is a power play by billionaire Musk, who plays a vague yet crucial role in Trump's executive alliance. This "successful obstruction" indicates the growing influence of wealth in politics and exposes the risks involved.

Of course, Musk's actions also sparked dissatisfaction among many lawmakers. After the bill unexpectedly "collapsed" on Wednesday, Democrats began referring to Musk as the "co-president," while some Republicans suggested Musk replace Johnson as House Speaker. Washington State Democratic Representative Pramila Jayapal raised questions on Thursday night:

"Who is the elected president? Are we negotiating with Musk now? Is Johnson no longer the Speaker?"

A Preview of "Trump 2.0": Shutdown, Unleash Musk

However, despite Musk's influence sometimes nearly surpassing Trump's, their relationship seems to show no signs of deterioration.

According to insiders cited by The Guardian, Musk's detonation of this political nuclear bomb may be a preview of Musk's action model in the Trump 2.0 era, aimed at pressuring Congress.

Previously, Musk had indicated that he could leverage his influence and wealth to become an executor of the new government. He also visited Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill with DOGE co-chair Vivek Ramaswamy to discuss plans for cutting government spending. After the meeting, some lawmakers stated that they discussed creating a blacklist and a whitelist for congressional members and senators to determine how to vote and how to spend the American people's moneyTrump also stated that Musk's performance indicates that once he takes office and leads the so-called "Department of Government Efficiency," he could become an effective catalyst for government activities.

However, some have claimed that the consensus at Mar-a-Lago is that Musk has proven to be an effective weapon for pressuring Congress and a scapegoat for any backlash. This may suggest that Trump has become more astute in the 2.0 era, as he often faced legislative and public opinion obstacles while pushing his agenda during the 1.0 era.

During the 1.0 era, Trump claimed he was someone who would shut down the government, stating:

"If I can't reach an agreement with the Democrats, including the funding for the southern border wall that I want, I will proudly shut down the federal government."

According to a former Trump White House official, the subsequent partial government shutdown was the longest in U.S. history, and the public's negative reaction to him and his strategy caught Trump off guard. Later, Trump backed down from his demand for funding for the border wall. This time, although Trump himself has not publicly supported shutting down the government, insiders say he has primarily let Musk issue threats and take the criticism.

Analysis indicates that in Trump's eyes, Musk enjoys a special status; Trump likes to use him as his attack dog, while his "wingman" Bannon from the 1.0 era has always been seen as a staff member, which ultimately led to Trump parting ways with him, but he remains sweet with Musk