As expected, Donald Trump’s ego flared this week, forcing his team to quickly assure everyone that he’s still in charge, not Elon Musk, after Democrats mocked him by calling the tech billionaire “President Elon Musk.”
The drama began when Musk led a public campaign to block a spending bill that would have kept the government funded through March 14. On Wednesday, Musk called for Republicans to reject the bill and said anyone who supported it should be voted out of office.
By Thursday, Trump and his running mate, JD Vance, sided with Musk, releasing a statement demanding that lawmakers pass a bill without “giveaways,” a position that effectively killed the legislation.
As the bill was swiftly defeated, some pundits and Democratic lawmakers began joking that Musk was the true power behind the scenes, even going so far as to mock Trump by calling Musk “President Elon Musk.” The nickname was a clear jab at Trump’s ego, suggesting that Musk, not Trump, was the real power in the Republican Party.
It didn’t take long for Trump’s team to jump into damage control mode. Karoline Leavitt, a spokesperson for Trump’s transition team, slammed the idea that Musk was in control. She pointed out that once Trump made his position clear on the bill, Republican lawmakers quickly fell in line.
“President Trump is the leader of the Republican Party. Full stop,” Leavitt said, trying to put any doubts about Trump’s authority to rest.
But the incident highlighted something Trump’s critics know all too well: his ego is fragile, and he can’t stand being overshadowed by anyone, especially someone as high-profile as Elon Musk. It’s no surprise that Democrats have been quick to taunt him, playing on his insecurities by calling Musk the real leader of the GOP. Trump’s team may be working hard to assure everyone that he’s still in charge, but the spotlight-stealing power of figures like Musk is a threat to his sense of dominance.
