Trump v Musk is the final battle before a catastrophe
Who needs reality TV when there's the psychodrama of Donald Trump's White House to keep us all entertained? As plot lines go, the falling out between Trump and Elon Musk was perhaps about as predictable as they come, but the sheer venom, speed and combustibility of the divorce has nevertheless proved utterly captivating.
Even the best of Hollywood scriptwriters would have struggled to do better. The stench of betrayal hangs heavy in the air, a veritable revenger's tragedy of a drama.
Beneath it all, however, lies a rather more serious matter than the sight of two of the world's richest and most powerful men breaking up and exchanging insults.
And it's one that afflicts nearly all major high-income economies. Slowly but surely – and at varying speeds – they are all going bust. Yet few of them seem even capable of recognising it, let alone doing anything to correct it.
None more so than the United States, where the Congressional Budget Office last week estimated that Trump's 'one big, beautiful bill' would add a further $US2.4 trillion ($3.7 million) to the national debt by 2034.
Loading
Let's not take sides, but Musk was absolutely right when he described the bill as 'a disgusting abomination'. It taxes far too little, and it spends far too much. It is hard to imagine a more reckless piece of make-believe.
Musk had backed Trump not just out of self-interest – more government contracts, protection of the electric vehicle mandate, personal aggrandisement and so on – but because he genuinely believed he could help stop the US from bankrupting itself.
This has proved a monumental conceit. The $US2 trillion of savings in federal spending he initially promised has turned out to be at most $US200 billion, and probably substantially less once double accounting and wishful thinking is factored in.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Telegraph
17 minutes ago
- Daily Telegraph
‘What an idiot': New York Times savaged over ‘boys on the bombers' fact check
Don't miss out on the headlines from News. Followed categories will be added to My News. The US has officially joined Israel in its battle against nuclear power Iran, and the New York Times was ready and waiting to wag a woke finger in the direction of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over his choice of words in a press briefing. In a Sunday news conference, Hegseth heaped praise on President Trump and the military campaign that saw six 'bunker buster' bombs dropped on key nuclear sites in the country. 'The operation President Trump planned was bold and it was brilliant, showing the world that American deterrence is back,' he said, warning, 'when this president speaks, the world should listen — and the US military, we can back it up.' At one point, Hegseth casually called the B-2 pilots who dropped the 15-ton bombs on targets in Iran 'our boys on those bombers,' which the New York Times appeared to jump on. 'In the briefing, Hegseth referred to B-2 pilots as 'our boys on those bombers,' yet both men and women have been trained to fly them,' NYT Pentagon reporter John Ismay corrected the record on the outlet's blog. The posting drew hundreds of scornful comments on social media. 'This is why people use the New York Times to line their bird cages,' one poster mused. 'Yes, let's make sure to be politically correct at this serious time,' another sarcastically quipped. 'What an idiot. We women know exactly what Secretary Hegseth meant,' said an X user. It's not clear whether any women took part in the 37-hour B-2 bomber raid, which saw the stealth planes take off from and return to Whiteman Air Force Base in western Missouri. What are the New York Times doing? Photo by ANGELA WEISS / AFP Pete Hegseth during a media conference. Photo:/AFP It's a bizarre time to drop a fact check on something that wasn't even trolling from the Trump administration, particularly when Iran threatened US bases in the Middle East as a result of the US attacks. International concern focused on fears that the unprecedented US attacks would deepen conflict in the volatile region after Israel launched a bombing campaign against Iran earlier this month. Ali Akbar Velayati, an adviser to Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said bases used by US forces could be attacked in retaliation. 'Any country in the region or elsewhere that is used by American forces to strike Iran will be considered a legitimate target for our armed forces,' he said in a message carried by the official IRNA news agency. 'America has attacked the heart of the Islamic world and must await irreparable consequences.' President Donald Trump urged Iran to end the conflict after he launched surprise strikes on a key underground uranium enrichment site at Fordo, along with nuclear facilities in Isfahan and Natanz. 'We had a spectacular military success yesterday, taking the 'bomb' right out of their hands (and they would use it if they could!)' he said on social media. The B-2 bombers dropped the bombs on Iran. Photo by US Department of Defense / AFP And while the US president did not directly advocate regime change in the Islamic republic, he openly played with the idea – even after his aides stressed that was not a goal of American intervention. 'It's not politically correct to use the term, 'Regime Change,' Trump posted on his Truth Social platform. 'But if the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn't there be a Regime change??? MIGA!!!' Hegseth told a Pentagon press briefing earlier that Iran's nuclear program had been 'devastated,' adding the operation 'did not target Iranian troops or the Iranian people.' Standing beside Hegseth, top US general Dan Caine said that while it would be 'way too early' for him to determine the level of destruction, 'initial battle damage assessments indicate that all three sites sustained extremely severe damage and destruction.' With AFP This story first appeared in the New York Post and was republished with permission. Originally published as 'What an idiot': New York Times savaged over 'boys on the bombers' fact check
West Australian
27 minutes ago
- West Australian
Donald Trump Iran plan: US President suggests ‘regime change' could ‘Make Iran Great Again'
US President Donald Trump says a 'regime change' may be needed to 'Make Iran Great Again'. After authorising B-2 pilots to drop an enormous payload of bombs on Iranian nuclear targets as part of Operation Midnight Hammer, the US President issued a warning to the Middle Eastern nation, saying peace was needed to avoid 'future attacks'. 'Iran, the bully of the Middle East, must now make peace,' Mr Trump said from the White House on Saturday (local time). 'If they do not, future attacks would be far greater and a lot easier.' As the region grapples with the intensity of the US strike and the direct involvement of the leader of the free world, Mr Trump has suggested Iran's Government may need to be toppled. 'It's not politically correct to use the term, 'Regime Change', but if the current Iranian regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn't there be a regime change???' Mr Trump wrote on Truth Social, adding 'MIGA!'. Mr Trump in another post confirmed that the pilots who dropped the bombs on Iran were back on US soil. 'The GREAT B-2 pilots have just landed, safely, in Missouri. Thank you for a job well done!' he wrote. The posts come as the United States and the world waits for signs of potential retaliation from Iran after Mr Trump said key nuclear sites in Tehran had been 'obliterated', joining Israel in the biggest Western military action against the Islamic Republic since its 1979 revolution. UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi told the Security Council that while craters were visible at Iran's enrichment site buried into a mountain at Fordow, 'no one - including the IAEA - is in a position to assess the underground damage'. Mr Grossi said entrances to tunnels used for the storage of enriched material appear to have been hit at Iran's sprawling Isfahan nuclear complex, while the fuel enrichment plant at Natanz has been struck again. 'Iran has informed the IAEA there has been no increase in off-site radiation levels at all three sites,' said Mr Grossi, who heads the International Atomic Energy Agency. Iran requested the UN Security Council meeting, calling on the 15-member body 'to address this blatant and unlawful act of aggression, to condemn it in the strongest possible terms.' Israel's UN Ambassador Danny Danon said in a statement on Sunday that the US and Israel 'do not deserve any condemnation, but rather an expression of appreciation and gratitude for making the world a safer place.' Mr Danon told reporters before the council meeting that it was still early when it came to assessing the impact of the US strikes. When asked if Israel was pursuing regime change in Iran, Mr Danon said: 'That's for the Iranian people to decide, not for us.' - With Reuters.
Perth Now
29 minutes ago
- Perth Now
Trump's new plan: ‘Make Iran Great Again'
US President Donald Trump says a 'regime change' may be needed to 'Make Iran Great Again'. After authorising B-2 pilots to drop an enormous payload of bombs on Iranian nuclear targets as part of Operation Midnight Hammer, the US President issued a warning to the Middle Eastern nation, saying peace was needed to avoid 'future attacks'. 'Iran, the bully of the Middle East, must now make peace,' Mr Trump said from the White House on Saturday (local time). 'If they do not, future attacks would be far greater and a lot easier.' As the region grapples with the intensity of the US strike and the direct involvement of the leader of the free world, Mr Trump has suggested Iran's Government may need to be toppled. 'It's not politically correct to use the term, 'Regime Change', but if the current Iranian regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn't there be a regime change???' Mr Trump wrote on Truth Social, adding 'MIGA!'. Mr Trump in another post confirmed that the pilots who dropped the bombs on Iran were back on US soil. 'The GREAT B-2 pilots have just landed, safely, in Missouri. Thank you for a job well done!' he wrote. The posts come as the United States and the world waits for signs of potential retaliation from Iran after Mr Trump said key nuclear sites in Tehran had been 'obliterated', joining Israel in the biggest Western military action against the Islamic Republic since its 1979 revolution. UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi told the Security Council that while craters were visible at Iran's enrichment site buried into a mountain at Fordow, 'no one - including the IAEA - is in a position to assess the underground damage'. Mr Grossi said entrances to tunnels used for the storage of enriched material appear to have been hit at Iran's sprawling Isfahan nuclear complex, while the fuel enrichment plant at Natanz has been struck again. 'Iran has informed the IAEA there has been no increase in off-site radiation levels at all three sites,' said Mr Grossi, who heads the International Atomic Energy Agency. Iran requested the UN Security Council meeting, calling on the 15-member body 'to address this blatant and unlawful act of aggression, to condemn it in the strongest possible terms.' Israel's UN Ambassador Danny Danon said in a statement on Sunday that the US and Israel 'do not deserve any condemnation, but rather an expression of appreciation and gratitude for making the world a safer place.' Mr Danon told reporters before the council meeting that it was still early when it came to assessing the impact of the US strikes. When asked if Israel was pursuing regime change in Iran, Mr Danon said: 'That's for the Iranian people to decide, not for us.' - With Reuters.
