The Honeymoon is Over – “The Sunday Political Brunch” June 8, 2025
Mark Curtis, MINDSETTER™
The Honeymoon is Over – “The Sunday Political Brunch” June 8, 2025
“Here’s What Musk Mused About!” -- The “big, beautiful bill” passed the House by just one vote, 215 to 214. Its prospects in the Senate are in doubt, given the 53-47 Republican majority, which already has some likely defectors. As with other critics, Musk believes the bill will raise debt, not cut it. "I’m sorry, but I just can’t stand it anymore," Musk wrote on X, "This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination. Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it." He added: "It will massively increase the already gigantic budget deficit to $2.5 trillion (!!!) and burden American citizens with crushingly unsustainable debt."
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“The White House Volley” – On Thursday, Trump responded to Musk’s comments, saying, “Elon and I had a great relationship. I don’t know if we will anymore.” Trump said Musk never objected to the bill, until he left his post, and that he was, “very disappointed” in Musk’s recent comments. Key Congressional leaders also weighed in. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson said, “With all due respect, my friend Elon is terribly wrong about the one big, beautiful bill.” Musk is upset because the bill reduces so-called “green subsidies” that help environmentally friendly technologies thrive. Companies such as Tesla, owned by Musk, are eligible for those grants. Speaker Johnson added, “But for him to come out and pan the whole bill, to me, is just very disappointing.” Musk then threw a counterpunch, saying, “Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House.” He labeled Trump’s words as, “Such ingratitude.”
“Food Fight Fallout” – Just when you thought it could not get any worse, it did! Musk went on X to say Trump was tied to the late sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. Musk said, “Time to drop the really big bomb” … “[Trump] is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public.” Trump has not responded to Musk’s latest remarks, but last year said, “I was never on Epstein’s Plane, or at his ‘stupid’ Island.” Trump later said he could run interference with Musk’s companies’ government contracts, and Musk then answered, “Yes” to a suggestion that Trump be impeached. Here’s my damage assessment. In the short term, the “big, beautiful bill” is dead. Reluctant Republicans who are on the fence, now have the cover to say, “No”. In the long term, the feud could spell disaster for Republicans in the 2026 midterms, where their control of the House and Senate could both fall.
“Who Do a Voodoo?” – This is not the first time we’ve seen a dust-up among eventual White House pals. During the 1980 Republican primary season, former Rep. George H.W. Bush (R) Texas referred to former Gov. Ronald Reagan’s (R) California’s tax and spending plan as “voodoo economics.” He downplayed Reagan’s notion of “trickle-down economics,” where cutting taxes for the wealthiest would lead to more investments and better-paying jobs for those at the lower end of the economic ladder. Reagan eventually picked Bush as his vice-presidential running mate, and Bush essentially had to eat his words, especially after the Reagan administration's economic policies took hold. My point is that close leaders can have fallings out and then repair the damage. Musk had promised to stay close to Trump and still pitch in where he could. But I believe that ship has sailed. The damage is now too extensive to fix.
“The Strange Bedfellows of Politics” – A key part of the “big, beautiful bill” is raising the nation’s debt limit to pay for the bill, including its tax cuts. This past week, President Trump suggested eliminating the debt ceiling altogether because Congress has to go through multiple contortions every few years and manages to raise it regardless of which party is in power. Oddly, that put Trump on the same side as Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D) Massachusetts, who is usually his arch-nemesis. Trump posted, “I am very pleased to announce that, after all of these years, I agree with Senator Elizabeth Warren on SOMETHING.” But again, given the Trump-Musk feud, the “big, beautiful bill” is clearly in jeopardy!
“Widen Biden Inquiry?” – Congress has been investigating the health decline of President Joe Biden, especially during his final two years in office. Now, the Trump White House is jumping in, too. President Trump has issued a directive to Attorney General Pam Bondi and others to determine if, “certain individuals conspired to deceive the public about Biden’s mental state and unconstitutionally exercise the authorities and responsibilities of the President.” That last portion is about others using an “auto-pen” to sign orders on Biden’s behalf, using an automated signature machine. Biden issued a statement in response saying, “Let me be clear: I made the decisions during my presidency. I made the decisions about the pardons, executive orders, legislation, and proclamations. Any suggestion that I didn’t is ridiculous and false.” Part of me says, “Let this go. Biden is no longer president, and he is ill.” On the other hand, part of me says, “The public has a right to know what really went on in the Biden White House.” Five high-level former Biden staffers have already been subpoenaed.
“Trouble Overseas Spilling onto Our Streets” – Recent events in the United States and overseas are making me more worried about an increase in violence on U.S. soil. On May 21, two Israeli Embassy employees were shot to death outside the Capitol Jewish Museum in Washington, DC. FBI agents say the suspect told them, "I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza." This past Sunday in Boulder, Colorado a man wounded 15 people with a flamethrower and Molotov cocktails. Investigators say the attacker, an Arab in the U.S. on an expired visa, shouted, “Free Palestine.” I worry about more of this happening, not less. Also, Ukrainian drones recently destroyed Russian bombers inside Russia’s borders. The U.S. denies involvement, but you have to imagine many Russian supporters don’t believe that. Will there be counterattacks in the U.S.? We are entering into an era of extreme caution. There were similar signs before the 9/11 attacks in 2001, which were ignored. Let’s not make that mistake now!
“World Stage Drama” – While I am concerned about violence on U.S. streets, there are more global concerns. This week, President Trump stated that he had a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump says Putin told him Russia would respond to the Ukraine drone strikes. Trump wrote on Truth Social, “It was a good conversation, but not a conversation that will lead to immediate peace.” He added, “President Putin did say, and very strongly, that he will have to respond to the recent attack on the airfields.” Might it be a nuclear strike? Who knows? But it’s concerning, just like the potential for nuclear weapons being used between Iran and Israel. World leaders need to lower the temperature on the rhetoric.
“Unconventional Weapons” – While weapons such as guns, bombs, and even Molotov cocktails have been around for some time, we are seeing a new wave of weapons. The use of drones in spying and in battle is expanding. But one of the most terrifying stories of the week, is that two Chinese nationals were arrested, accused of sneaking a harmful fungus into the United States. According to the federal indictment, the suspects were smuggling a biological pathogen that “can cause devastating diseases in crops.” Investigators say the two used text messages to plan the details of the fungus smuggling. It’s a case of bioterrorism. I’ve long worried our water supplies were vulnerable to a similar attack.