Will Trump Fall? —— The Backroom in Washington is Already Looking for a Successor. Elon Musk's Intentions Behind the Live Stream
How are things over there (in the US)?
Donald Trump had been in the White House for less than half a year during his second term, and it was already evident that he was incapable of carrying out the mission of "Make America Great Again" — even just to restore the characteristics of a nation-state. The spectacular quarrel between this president and Elon Musk, who was once his closest ally, has already sent a clear signal: conservative elites have begun to look for a more resolute leader to counter the liberals. A list of potential successors has already emerged...
Scandal During the Live Stream
June 5, 2025 will be etched into American history because on this day, Donald Trump and Elon Musk had a falling out.
Many people across the United States and around the world were watching this social media confrontation, leading to various speculations. People were wondering — what impact would this exchange filled with veiled accusations and direct insinuations (sometimes pointing to mental issues, sometimes relating to the famous pedophilia scandal) have on the politics and economy of a world power?
Some also speculated that Musk and Trump were staging a live show for the audience with clear purposes. These purposes varied, from trying to crash the stock market and then buying low (the stock market did react), to confusing political opponents and then making a surprise move.
The "Breakup" Between Trump and Musk Became the Top News in the United States.
Screenshot: The Wall Street Journal website
More importantly, by the evening of June 5 (early morning on June 6 in Moscow time), both sides of the conflict clearly began to cool down: Trump said "everything is fine," while Musk abandoned the threat of leaving the NATO space program and agreed that, for the sake of national interests, he and the president should maintain good relations.
The Liberals' Joy
Is this a performance aimed at fooling the global audience and political commentators?
This claim cannot be completely ruled out — but it is not very credible. First of all, both sides of the argument obviously went too far (especially Musk, who implied that Trump was related to the Epstein pedophilia scandal).
Secondly, this alliance had not lasted more than a year (Musk publicly supported Trump after the attack in July 2024), and the existence of objective contradictions within it was obvious. It is no wonder that liberal U.S. media reported this sensational split with undisguised glee and mockery.
For example, The New York Times posed as a prophet, claiming that the end of this pair of Trump and Musk was expected and reasonable. The Washington Post used a more harsh metaphor: two people with narcissistic personality traits could not have a good outcome. Even in marriage, people with complementary personalities are easier to get along with than those with similar ones.
Title: "8 Ways Musk and Trump Could Hurt Each Other."
Screenshot: The New York Times website
Currently, the favorite pastime of the liberal media is speculating on how Trump and Musk could hurt each other, which means and resources they could use, and who would win in the end. According to such media reports, these two former allies are currently evenly matched.
Musk can stop funding Republican campaign activities, withdraw from government projects, and conduct anti-Trump campaigns on social media. Trump, on the other hand, can directly carry out political suppression, depriving Musk of government contracts, canceling his access to classified information. He could even bring up the questionable immigration status of this South African, and expel him from the country.
But these are just predictions for the future — and now, the Democratic media openly mock Musk, bluntly stating: you shouldn't have sided with the Republican and conservative camp in the first place. Now, Elon, you're reaping what you sowed...
What Will Vance Do?
However, given this well-known entrepreneur's political ambitions, the malicious slanders from the liberals take a back seat.
Local insiders say that Musk indeed has political ambitions: his team seems to be betting on gradually increasing his political influence. According to The Washington Post, some of this entrepreneur's close associates even privately mentioned that "Elon has the ambition to become president."
Other sources of the newspaper also revealed that when Musk spoke with some Republican politicians, this controversial businessman said, "Trump's presidency still has three and a half years left — and my influence can last about 40 years." From the context, he was referring to his influence over the U.S. media space — but for a 50-year-old Musk, predicting he can remain active until 2065 is quite bold.
Jay Dee Vance (right) is still on the same side as Trump. But what about the future?
Another interesting plot is Musk's relationship with Vice President Jay Dee Vance — even if not the entire Republican political elite, at least the broader conservative public regard Vance as Trump's "official successor".
Evidently, Musk's support for impeaching Trump and having Vance take over as president during the online quarrel with Trump was not accidental.
Political scientist Maliek Dudafov, in an interview with "Tsargrad Press", does not rule out the possibility that Musk is actually betting on the vice president:
Musk has a very close relationship with Vice President Jay Dee Vance. Therefore, Musk's next plan may be: "During Trump's administration, we failed to reshape American society, so in 2028, we need Vance to be elected president."
However, Vance is currently distancing himself from Musk, expressing full support for Trump on social media: "Everything the President Trump has done far exceeds anything, enough to earn the trust of the movement he leads. I am deeply proud to stand alongside him."
Does Musk Still Have a Chance?
From the domestic perspective in the U.S., Musk's prospects of becoming another core figure in the conservative forces and maintaining relations with the Republicans and Trump voters are rather contradictory.
On one hand, U.S. media point out that most Republican voters and politicians currently support Trump. This indicates that the conservative public's trust in Trump — the long-standing opponent of the liberal system — has not been completely exhausted. Moreover, Musk, who was once a liberal, does not have high support among the core Republican voters.
The main view of Republican Congress members can be summarized as: "Of course, thank you, Musk, for the financial support and help in the 2024 election, but we support Trump."
Title: "Musk Becomes an Outcast in the Republican Party After Accusing Trump."
But to say that Musk has no support among conservatives is too hasty. We cannot underestimate Elon's financial contributions to the Republican elections (some politicians owe their election to him), nor can we ignore the popularity of this charismatic entrepreneur among the youth — whether it is young Republicans or young Democrats still supporting the Democrats.
Therefore, even during the peak of the conflict with Trump, some Republican politicians (although mostly with little influence) publicly expressed sympathy for Musk and hope to remain neutral. This is already an important foundation for the future.
"Think of Boris Berezovsky..."
Carefully observing the intense quarrel between Trump and Musk, it can be determined — the problem is not personal ambitions and grudges (although these are also hard to deny). The problem is much more serious: fundamentally, the conservative America has started to select the next leader candidate to counter the liberals.
American political scientist Dmitry Drobnitsky believes that the essence and reason for the conflict are not money, stocks, or contracts:
Elon Musk expressed dissatisfaction among a considerable part of the core group of the "Make America Great Again" (MAGA) movement — the leader Donald Trump's indecisiveness and inconsistency. Anglo-Saxon political culture is based on public communication. Anything not publicly disclosed in the public sphere is not considered to exist. Fundamentally, an open intra-party discussion has begun within the "Make America Great Again" movement.
Maliek Dudafov also expressed a similar view in an interview with "Russia First Channel":
Musk is now trying to position himself as a more steadfast supporter of the "Make America Great Again" creed than Trump. This is a favorable position for him. And in the future, Musk is likely to criticize Trump more frequently. Considering that he is no longer working in the Trump administration, he now has the opportunity to do so.
It has only been six months since the U.S. presidential election — and a new battle for the White House seems to have already begun.
The most likely scenario for replacing Trump is the internal struggle within the Republican Party — although during the quarrel, Musk launched a poll on social media asking viewers whether it was necessary to establish a third party. Obviously, this is implying that he might become the leader of that party.
Political scientist Yuri Svetov reminded that there have already been attempts in the U.S. to establish a third party, become a third political force, and even participate in the presidential election. For example, businessman Ross Perot participated in the 1992 (with nearly 19% of the vote) and 1996 (8%) presidential elections.
But experts believe that such attempts have very weak vitality in this highly conservative political system in the U.S. Especially if led by Elon Musk — Svetov made an unusual analogy:
Parties cannot be built solely with money; they also need ideas and cadres. It would be difficult for Musk to find people willing to cooperate with him, given the way he treated Trump. Musk made a typical mistake: either doing business or entering politics, but he wants to do both. Think of Boris Berezovsky, who called himself "president-maker" and served as secretary of the security council for a while. Later, he saw himself as the ideologue and strategist of the entire life of the country — and eventually fled to Britain and ended his life with suicide.
So What?
If you consider the online quarrel between Trump and Musk on June 5 as the beginning of subsequent events, you would be completely wrong.
This is not the starting point, but just an important intermediate stage in the behind-the-scenes process in Washington in recent weeks. The American conservative elites have gradually realized how efficient Donald Trump is in breaking the existing electoral system, and how ineffective he is in opposing the liberal globalization forces both domestically and internationally.
Now, before this conservative group (which partially overlaps with the Republican Party), the question of choosing the "next Trump" is particularly urgent.
The current list of potential candidates for replacing Trump is still short and uncertain. Obvious candidates include Elon Musk (the pros and cons of his eligibility have been analyzed above) and Vice President Jay Dean Vance. Vance has a promising outlook, both due to his age (40 years old) and his ideological alignment with conservative voters being higher than Trump.
However, Vance's obstacles may lie in his lack of political experience and his awkward position between the "new" and "old" Republican elites. By the way, Secretary of State Marco Rubio may become a candidate of the "old" party elites — he was recently a critic of Trump and is seen as a "check and balance" force within the current government.
Nevertheless, as Konstantin Malofeyev, the founder of "Tsargrad Press," pointed out, the quarrel between Trump and Musk once again shows that the current U.S. government and the Biden government are not fundamentally different: "The difference is that unlike the fervent, dogmatic liberal globalization, this is a pragmatic capitalist regime."
Therefore, other names may appear on the list of candidates for the "next Trump." For Russia, this is merely a change in the title of our "dead enemies." There is no change in other aspects — but under the chaos in Washington, there is an opportunity that benefits Russia to actively strive for the future.
Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7541308967784595968/
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