The billionaire has put himself front and center in the closing days of the campaign, making himself a perfect avatar for Trump’s plutocratic policies

Behind his generally genial persona, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has got a sharp tongue on him. He was particularly cutting toward former President Donald Trump on Tuesday when he appeared alongside former President Barack Obama to herald the start of early voting in Wisconsin. But the Democratic vice presidential nominee also had a new target in his sights: chaotic billionaire turned GOP megadonor Elon Musk.

Specifically, Walz took aim at Trump’s promise to appoint Musk to lead a new “government efficiency commission” if he wins. “[Musk] could spend millions to make more than $10 billion on the back end,” Walz told the crowd. “Donald Trump, in front of the eyes of the public, is promising corruption.”

It’s a sharp elbow from Walz — and one that Musk deserves to catch. In funneling his fortuneinto trying to get Trump elected, it is all too clear that the owner of Tesla and SpaceX is hoping to profit handsomely as a result. But in doing so, he’s also made himself a ready-made plutocratic villain for Walz and Vice President Kamala Harris in the closing days of the campaign.

  • 0x01@lemmy.ml
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    21
    ·
    1 month ago

    Proxies are effective political attack vectors, see: politician’s family like hunter biden, non running candidates like joe biden, talkshow hosts who speak positively about one or the other candidate

    This kind of focal shift happens all the time, evidently to pretty decent effect, elon husk making himself the center of the R campaign brings his positive and negative baggage with it.

    Side note

    Husk isn’t a US citizen so this is his peak political influence