Children of the Trump-Musk Divorce

Our weekly Q&A column: What to do about America’s biggest breakup, a comedian commander-in-chief, and a red state reality check on Russia.

Before we take the leap into the reply section, a reminder: Our next Substack Live will take place this coming Tuesday, June 10 at 5pm ET/2pm PT. I hope you’ll join us! Our weekly Live broadcasts are a unique opportunity to engage in real time, and having a back-and-forth with you is my favorite part of this work!

The livestream is open to all, but if you’d like to participate in the conversation, I hope you’ll consider upgrading to a paid subscription to get access to the Live Chat.

---

On to this week’s replies:

First up, a comment on a piece from my friend Gabrielius Landsbergis, the former foreign minister of Lithuania. Gabrielius was writing about the prospect of a Russian-initiated Pearl Harbor-style attack in Europe.

One reader, Don Frazius, raises an interesting challenge in drawing attention to this threat. And his comment speaks to a broader dynamic the pro-democracy community has to confront. Don says:

It takes a focused effort to force the Russian threat to the attention of heartland Americans, often in red congressional districts. Are there any US-based efforts to do that? That's what it will take to garner political support that's ready when it's needed.

Many Americans in the red heartland are aware of the Russian threat. And there are even some brave Republican lawmakers who remain champions for Ukraine. A recent Pew Poll reported that 83% of Republicans and Republican-leaning Americans view Russia unfavorably or very unfavorably. 78% are anti-Putin.

Of course, Republican numbers are trending in the wrong direction as US policy moves in the wrong direction. However, with significant portions of Republican-leaning Americans still on the right side when it comes to Russia and Ukraine the challenge isn’t so much highlighting the threat as drawing attention to the ways in which Trump, Vance, and their ilk are out of line with their voters’ personal views.

Republicans aren’t a monolith. Even the MAGA movement has divisions (more on that in a moment). The Russian invasion of Ukraine isn’t the only issue where Trump is disconnected from his base. Still doing something about those gaps is a far more daunting challenge than making an issue salient to voters in the first place. You have to break the parasocial bond between people and politicians that allows voters to make excuses for policies they know are incompatible with their interests or values—and this is especially hard with a cult leader like Trump.

And speaking of divisions in MAGA—there’s one very public rift that’s impossible to ignore. That is, of course, the row between Donald Trump and Elon Musk. Reader Pearson Marx writes:

So grateful for your guidance and insights in the fight for our nation’s souls. Can’t wait for your thoughts on how to best take strategic advantage of the current Trump Musk break up.

You’re already on the right track here. There’s some well-earned relief in poking fun at the tumultuous breakup between erstwhile best buds Trump and Musk. But schadenfreude isn’t a political strategy.

This situation requires something of us a little more substantial than smug satisfaction. As president, Trump naturally has the advantage over Musk, but millions of people who looked up to both men are feeling confused and torn currently. Those people—the children of the Trump-Musk divorce, if you will—may not have been on our side before yesterday. Yet that can change.

This is a rare opportunity—Trump and Musk are the two most powerful men not only on the American right but in the country (with apologies to JD Vance, who ranks somewhere around 594, behind every senator, member of the House, state governor, and the mayors of several large cities). Trust me: this isn’t the first time I’ve seen an aspiring authoritarian dump his favorite oligarch.

We’ll have to see if this feud truly blows up—both men have a lot to lose. But this whole affair really underscores the flimsiness of Trump’s political alliance. I’ll have more to say on this—stay tuned next week.

Rounding things out, we have a reader who wants to know: Would a comedian put up a tougher fight against a demagogic showman than the usual cast of stuffy career politicos?

I also wonder why slick, fast-talking, one-liner-zinging personalities aren’t stepping into the political arena for the dems. There are plenty of possible candidates - for example, Jimmy Kimmel or Stephen Colbert. I can see night comedians or glib actors brushing back the mobster Trump on a debate stage, talking over him, not allowing him to even get a word in edgewise. Once we get over the phase of fear I think such voices will emerge. Jeffries and Schumer need to exit stage left.

Well—right off the bat—it bears repeating that in a world of clowns, the leader taking the bravest stand against authoritarianism is a comedian by trade. I’m referring, of course, to Volodomyr Zelenskyy. With the right person, it shouldn’t matter what their previous vocation was. The new Romanian president (whom I profiled last week) was a mathematician.

As for the specific set of skills comedians bring to the table: Trump’s opponents can certainly learn a thing or two about stage management from people whose business is entertainment.

The caveat I’d add here is that many American comedians are de facto politicians already: they wield enormous influence and have large audiences. Once you’re there, you have to own your political status. You can’t retreat behind the defense that you are “just a comedian” (as Jon Stewart did) any more than I can evade responsibility for my words or deeds by saying that I’m “just a chess player.”

So that’s it for this week. In the meantime, let me know how you’re processing everything. What do you think Trump’s rivals should do about the split with Musk? And have you watched our broadcast on character with General Stanley McChrystal? If so, what did you make of it? Let me know in the comments, and I hope to see you on our next Substack Live this Tuesday, June 10, at 5pm ET/2pm PT!

---

Related Content

---

---

The Perfect Pro-Democracy Candidate Doesn’t Exi—