Trump’s $20 billion-plus payday: The ultimate political bribe
Reports indicate that Elon Musk and President-elect Donald Trump are scheming to solidify their transactional alliance by merging X with Truth Social. Foremost, this deal would make Trump richer than even his wildest boasts. Musk, with a net worth exceeding $260 billion, recently made a staggering $25 billion in a single day. So, he could easily triple Trump’s $6 billion net worth: pay him $10 billion for Truth Social and grant him an additional $10 billion stake in the new X.
Not to mention that its value would skyrocket. After all, with Trump as tweeter-in-chief, this merged X would become the world’s most influential platform, as billions log in daily, eager to see dread his latest tweet portends. And, seeking business and paying homage, companies of all sizes would flock to advertise on X, causing revenues to soar.
Bottom line: This merger amounts to Trump — the most venal politician in history — taking the largest bribe ever in American politics.
Musk as Trump’s secretary of propaganda
By merging Trump’s Truth Social with X, Musk would become Trump’s de facto secretary of propaganda. But he’d wield algorithmic tools to spread lies and influence people in ways Goebbels, Hitler’s chief propagandist, could never imagine in his fascist dreams.
Indeed, Musk used X to secure Trump’s victory this time in ways that make the way Putin used trolls in 2016 look patriotic.
Now, Trump and Musk want their new X to indoctrinate minds and control behavior, much like Mao’s Little Red Book did or the Bible still does. This platform would also serve as an international echo chamber, enable autocrats like Putin, Xi, and Kim to align with Trump, while wannabe autocrats like Orbán, Erdogan, and Netanyahu pay homage and curry favor. This would create a bloc of authoritarian voices across the globe.
Silencing dissent
Musk once hailed himself as a free speech absolutist. But, as soon as he purchased X, he revealed himself as a Trumpian hypocrite, banning users who criticized him or his views. Both Musk and Trump are notoriously narcissistic and thin-skinned. So, Musk would use algorithms not only to spread Trump’s propaganda but to crush dissent.
Remarkably, many prominent Trump critics, from world leaders to celebrities, are still on X. After all, they spent years condemning Musk’s transformation of Twitter into a hate-filled hellscape, they remain hooked. Social media addiction has them clinging to X just like kids to TikTok.
Remarkably, many prominent Trump critics, from world leaders to celebrities, are still on X. After all, they’ve spent the past two years condemning Musk for turning Twitter into a hate-filled hellscape. Alas, the addictive nature of social media has them as hooked on X as kids are on TikTok.
Spreading fear
Shadow-banning would be a slap on the wrist. Because, for high-profile critics like anti-Trump politicians and celebrities, complete bans would become the norm. And many of them would face forensic tax audits, boycotts, or trumped-up charges — pursuant to Trump’s vow to persecute those who prosecuted him.
That’s why wealthy CEOs have preemptively signaled their willingness to obey. For example, Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos cravenly spiked the paper’s endorsement of Kamala. But many CEOs are falling in line, kowtowing to Trump to avoid his wrath. That’s why alternative platforms like Zuckerberg’s Instagram and Threads will offer no sanctuary.
Trust me, Musk and Trump would like to transform American democracy into a Russian-style autocracy. And they have all the power and tools to make it happen. This is how democracy dies. God help America.
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