The very public and nasty feud between Elon Musk and President Donald Trump has garnered main reactions and elicited a lot fodder—and jokes—on tv and social media timelines.
“The ladies are preventing, aren’t they?” mentioned U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., in a now-viral response to Musk and Trump buying and selling barbs on-line.
Whereas Democrats say they’re hardly shocked by the crash and burn of Trump’s bromance with Musk, they clarify no person wins when the world’s strongest man and the world’s richest man are feuding—as a result of the lives of Black Individuals and tens of millions of others stay in jeopardy.
“I do know it’s simple to deal with these two megalomaniacs with their superficial, vacuous relationship, however what’s essential to recollect is what truly hangs within the stability,” mentioned Joel Payne, a longtime Democratic strategist.
“I believe it’s simply one other sort of indignity that voters who trusted Donald Trump to do higher and to develop and voters who completely noticed this coming,” he mentioned, including, “The indignity of getting to look at the issues that they care about, vital providers, the kind of help they want from authorities lowered to any such meals battle. I imply, it’s actually embarrassing.”
As Trump raged in opposition to Musk on Reality Social, simply miles away on the opposite aspect of Pennsylvania Avenue, Congress is engaged on laws that stands to shave lots of of tens of millions of {dollars} from Medicaid, SNAP, and different vital providers that Black Individuals disproportionately depend on.
“I imply, you’re speaking about well being look after 16 million folks,” Payne mentioned of the cuts to Medicaid, a trade-off to pay for the extension of Trump’s 2017 tax cuts that specialists say will overwhelmingly profit rich Individuals.
“Although they’re feuding proper now, they nonetheless have the identical pursuits to line the pockets of millionaires and billionaires,” mentioned Reecie Colbert, a political analyst and host of “The Reecie Colbert Present” on Sirius XM. She informed theGrio, “They nonetheless have the identical curiosity in snatching well being care away from tens of millions of individuals, of snatching meals safety away from tens of millions of individuals. These are two villains and two enemies of the development and citizenship of Black folks on this nation.”
Musk has slammed the “One Massive Stunning Invoice” laws as a “Debt Slavery Invoice” as a result of it could add greater than $2 trillion to the nationwide deficit over the following 10 years. The proprietor of Tesla, SpaceX, and X, previously Twitter, has made it clear he needs Republicans to kill the invoice. Others speculate Musk can be not proud of the invoice not together with tax credit for electrical automobiles, which might influence his enterprise.
However Payne says the “beef” between Trump and Musk (and a few Republican lawmakers) is de facto that the invoice doesn’t reduce sufficient.
“There’s not sufficient that’s going again to the highest 1%. The wealth switch will not be sufficient,” he mentioned of Republicans.
Whereas there are provisions throughout the Massive Stunning Invoice that could be standard, like eliminating taxes on suggestions and establishing a financial savings account for new child kids, Democrats and advocates level out that a lot of the invoice would do extra hurt to Black households than good.
The laws cuts greater than $300 billion in scholar mortgage spending, together with Pell Grants, which Black Individuals disproportionately depend on to pay for greater training. It additionally reduces or eliminates clear vitality funding and tax credit that had been signed into legislation by former President Joe Biden–a few of which had been tailor-made to deal with environmental racism that has plagued Black communities for many years.
Yemisi Egbewole, former chief of workers for the White Home Press Secretary’s Workplace through the Biden administration, mentioned the agenda of Trump and Republicans offers “little promise” of significant “financial alternative” for Black communities. She informed theGrio the administration is as an alternative centered on attacking all issues it considers to be variety, fairness, and inclusion, or DEI.
“We’re residing in a time the place the Secretary of Protection [Pete Hegseth] is speaking about taking Harriet Tubman, Thurgood Marshall, all these names off of ships, issues that don’t have an effect on our day-to-day nationwide safety,” mentioned Egbewole, referencing a report about Hegseth ordering the U.S. Navy to assessment and doubtlessly rename a number of ships named after Black historic figures.
“They’re simply focusing on it as a result of they’ll,” she informed theGrio. “I believe this administration is exhibiting precisely what they give thought to African Individuals, and I believe Black folks ought to hear.”
Egbewole mentioned Democrats have a chance to make use of the Trump-Musk implosion and divide throughout the Republican Get together to kill the Massive Stunning Invoice. She says the results couldn’t be extra critical.
“Financial safety is high of thoughts for each American proper now; wages, housing, well being care, scholar loans,” she defined. “These are past coverage factors now. They’re private. Individuals don’t take into consideration constructing a future, constructing a household, or shopping for a house when they’re struggling economically. We’re stunting America’s development.”
As for Black Individuals, Payne remembers the 2016 election when Trump informed Black voters, “What do you must lose?” — a plea he flirted with once more within the 2024 presidential marketing campaign cycle.
“It’s an implicit critique of the established order…the established order deserves critique, but it surely was his attraction to populations of voters who should not his pure allies as a result of they don’t see themselves represented in his imaginative and prescient of the world,” mentioned Payne. Pointing to the menace in opposition to well being care and funding for packages Black Individuals closely depend on for survival, Payne added, “I believe we now have a solution to that query. Now, that is what you must lose.”
