[Source/Observer Network, Shao Yun] Why did US President Trump and Silicon Valley entrepreneur Musk suddenly fall out with each other?
Currently, many analyses attribute it to the potential debt burden brought by Trump's "Build Back Better" bill. However, on June 7, Politico magazine analyzed that this is only the surface reason, and the real core contradiction lies in another key issue hidden in the bill - "immigration". The root cause of this lies in the ideological differences between the "Tech Right" represented by Musk and the extreme right MAGA populists within Trump's camp.
Data from the Congressional Budget Office shows that the "Build Back Better" bill will increase federal government debt by $2.4 trillion over the next decade. Musk criticized this, saying it would bankrupt America. However, Politico interprets that for extreme right MAGA supporters, the core "selling point" of the bill is actually the $155 billion allocated for immigration enforcement and mass deportation plans, which is enough for them to overlook its potential fiscal defects.
As White House Deputy Chief of Staff and immigration hardliner Stephen Miller put it, the "Build Back Better" bill includes "the most important border security and deportation actions in history", and "just based on this fact, it has become the most important legislation for the conservative camp in American history." Jack Posobiec, a conservative political activist in the U.S., also posted on the 6th, stating, "Debt is indeed bad, but the immigration crisis is much worse."
Screenshot of Posobiec's post
Musk, however, follows a different line of thinking: compared to immigration, the federal deficit is the "existential threat" to America's future. This proposition has also been echoed by other tech giants in Trump's camp, including Mark Andreessen, founder of top Silicon Valley venture capital firm a16z, and Peter Thiel, co-founder of PayPal.
Politico magazine points out that the concerns of these "Tech Right" figures are not only rooted in their long-standing liberal ideology but also in their own interests: after all, every dollar spent by the federal government on repaying debt means one less dollar available for investing in so-called revolutionary technologies supported by their companies, which they believe can bring true "American vitality".
In fact, as early as last December during the internal strife within Trump's camp over H-1B visa policies, this divergence was evident. Immigration hawks like Miller advocate ending the H-1B visa program and cracking down on all immigrants; whereas Musk and his allies in the Trump "Silicon Valley coalition" argue that high-skilled immigration is crucial for America's economy and innovation and should be protected and utilized.
At that time, Musk's side temporarily won under Trump's intervention, and this fragile peace barely lasted until Trump's return to the White House. But with the introduction of the "Build Back Better" bill, old grievances quickly resurfaced. The report suggests that the renewed hostility between Trump and Musk indicates that the underlying ideological differences between the two factions within Trump's camp have never truly been resolved.
On May 30, Washington D.C., Oval Office at the White House, Musk and Trump attend a press conference. Left to right: US Treasury Secretary Bostic and Commerce Secretary Raimondo, visual China
Politico notes that since 2016, immigration has been the ideological cornerstone of the political alliance Trump built. During the 2024 election, Trump and his running mate Vance almost linked all issues, from housing shortages to inflation and even "wokeness" culture, to their promised immigration crackdown measures. After taking office in January, one of Trump's first actions was to use unprecedented emergency powers to advance his large-scale immigration expulsion plan.
Recently, the Trump administration announced the revocation of Harvard University's student and exchange visitor program qualifications, banning international students from being admitted, and restricting Harvard international student visas under the pretext of national security, suspending the entry of foreign citizens studying or participating in exchange programs at Harvard. Although both measures have been temporarily halted by courts, media outlets suggest that this further proves that the Trump administration wants to "stop nearly all legal immigration," not just illegal immigration.
Vance argued in an interview at the end of May that visa restrictions would not affect America's innovation capabilities. He cited examples claiming that America's space program, which began in the 1950s, was also helped by some German and Jewish scientists who came to the U.S. during World War II, but most of the work was completed by American citizens using their talents.
"The idea that Americans are incapable of achieving great feats and must import a batch of foreign workers and professors to serve us in order to accomplish things is something I completely disagree with," Vance said, adding that America should invest more in its own people, and limiting student visas is precisely the opportunity for Americans to truly shine.
On May 29, Vance appeared on right-wing Newsmax TV to discuss visa policies. Newsmax TV
"Vance's Wrong Choice on Immigration," the Wall Street Journal editorializes with this title, directly stating that this is a typical false dichotomy logic, accepting foreign talent and increasing investment in domestic talent in the U.S. are not mutually exclusive topics.
The article states that the reality is that only about 13% of American students majoring in STEM fields at the undergraduate level meet the needs of future businesses and governments. There are insufficient American students pursuing higher STEM degrees at the postgraduate level, and U.S. universities rely on international students to fill the gaps in graduate programs. Over 70% of full-time graduate students in computer science and engineering across the country are international students.
The Wall Street Journal also points out that 1,600 German scientists who immigrated to the U.S. after World War II made significant contributions to America's first artificial satellite launch and the "Apollo" moon landing mission. Wernher von Braun, the main designer of the Saturn V rocket used in the "Apollo" moon landing mission, was a German immigrant and the father of modern rockets. According to research by the National Foundation for Immigration Policy, more than half of the American physicists who won Nobel Prizes from 1945 to 1974 were immigrants, and 42% of medical prize winners were also immigrants.
However, from Vance's remarks, it can be seen that despite the short-term consequences of the "split between Trump and Musk" still有待观察, it seems that Musk, the "global richest man," does not have an advantage in the power balance within Trump's camp.
Musk recently threatened to provide electoral support to any senator voting against the "Build Back Better" bill and hinted at possibly forming his own party. However, Politico magazine believes that his "political capital" accumulation is still not as strong as that of orthodox MAGA successor Vance; even if he really intends to challenge Republican orthodoxy and start anew, the future MAGA movement may already be preparing to deal with "Musk decoupling." The report states that Vance has been building his independent fundraising network since 2022.
Politico magazine analyzes that in the long run, the conflict between Trump and Musk will consolidate the status of immigration issues as a loyalty test "touchstone" within Trump's camp. "The key ideological differences within the MAGA movement lie in whether some view immigration restrictions as a means to an end, while others see them as an end in themselves," the report writes. "MAGA supporters cannot have their cake and eat it too; they must make a choice... Musk's defeat serves as a warning to anyone on the wrong side of this dividing line."
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Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7513563978581262911/
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