Are Democrats Too Focused on Elon Musk?

Is focusing so much firepower on Musk a good strategy or is it falling into Trump's Trap?

Donald Trump and Elon Musk sat down for a joint interview with Fox News’s Sean Hannity, which aired last night. A president periodically does a joint interview with the first lady… and maybe the vice president (although that is extremely rare). But the president sharing an interview stage with a random advisor is unprecedented. The mere fact of the interview speaks to the extraordinary situation of the world’s richest man serving as co-president.

Because Musk tipped the spear for Trump’s efforts to dismantle large swaths of the federal government, he became a focal point of Democratic attacks on the Trump Administration. Democrats have called him co-president. Congressman Robert Garcia jokingly put up a picture of Musk during a congressional hearing and called it a “dick pic.”

Democratic activists are being urged to hold protests outside of Tesla dealerships around the country. We are in uncharted waters. No un-elected, non-senate-confirmed official has ever had as much power or influence as Musk. The world’s richest man is running a special government task force designed to slash the agencies that regulate his companies. Democrats made Musk a central part of their messaging. Sometimes it seems like Democrats talk about Musk as much — or even more — than they talk about Trump. It’s fair to wonder whether that’s the right decision.

Is This What Trump Wants?

Donald Trump is not exactly known for sharing the spotlight with other people. With both of his vice presidential selections, he bypassed much more telegenic options for folks with the charisma of banana slugs. Trump turns on anyone who is getting better press coverage or more praise than him. Musk has been a notable exception to Trump’s past practice. Last week, Trump sat there like a potted plant while Musk held court in the Oval Office for an interminably long press conference. Trump didn’t even react to a Time Magazine cover that showed Musk as president.