For better or for worse, there is no real distinction between American politicians and American celebrities…after all, each group generates countless headlines about everything from their latest controversies to their latest fashion faux pas. And just like with our favorite TV shows, most of us feel compelled to keep up with all the political drama, tuning into press conferences and insider scoops in hopes of figuring out what’s really going on behind the scenes.
Right now, things seem to be getting juicy between two of our biggest political stars: Donald Trump and Elon Musk. Thus far, Musk has been a staunch Trump ally, helping the older man win the 2024 presidential election and spearheading the Department of Governmental Efficiency (DOGE), an organization dedicated to finding and eliminating government waste. Now, though, Trump is making birthday plans that might stress his relationship with Musk while putting the younger man in his place.
What are those plans, and how will they muss the Musk? Keep reading to find out!
How Elon Musk became Donald Trump’s ally
The business relationship between Elon Musk and Donald Trump goes back to the latter’s first presidency. As the Independent reports, Musk was critical of Trump before the win, saying that “He doesn’t seem to have the sort of character that reflects well on the United States.” Nonetheless, Musk accepted an appointment to Trump’s economic advisory council, but in June of 2017, he left in protest after Trump withdrew from the Paris Climate Agreement, writing the following on X: “Am departing presidential councils. Climate change is real. Leaving Paris is not good for America or the world.”
Fast forward to July 2024 and Musk surprisingly began donating $45 million a month to a Trump-friendly super PAC after Trump was nearly assassinated. By November, Musk was appearing at Trump rallies and giving away millions of dollars to encourage voters to sign a seemingly pro-Trump petition about free speech and the Second Amendment. After Trump won the election, Musk got his wish: to head up the Department of Governmental Efficiency.
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Musk and DOGE take center stage
DOGE is Elon Musk’s brainchild, one whose acronym is taken from an internet meme of an internet famous dog. Despite that silliness, that organization has a goal that looks great on paper: eliminating fraud and wasteful government spending, effectively saving taxpayers millions of dollars.
However, there has been much confusion over how DOGE works and even who heads it…Donald Trump has previously said that Musk runs DOGE, but the White House has denied that. On paper, Amy Gleason runs the organization, but many speculate that Musk is still running the show but does not necessarily want to take the heat for DOGE’s more controversial actions.
Between getting to kindasorta run a brand-new governmental organization and calling himself the “first buddy” to Trump, critics of Musk have worried he has too much influence over the American government. Now, though, Trump’s impending birthday plans may put him and his first buddy at serious odds.
Trump’s extravagant birthday plans
Donald Trump always likes to go all out, and that includes his upcoming birthday celebration. One insider disclosed to the Washington City Paper that Trump is capitalizing on the fact that June 14, 2025, will be both the 250th anniversary of the United States military and his 79th birthday. Because of that, he reportedly wants a military parade that “would stretch almost four miles from the Pentagon in Arlington to the White House.”
These plans are, of course, perfectly in line with Trump’s desire for grandiose celebration: back in 2018, he wanted a military parade that would have involved tanks and planes in Washington, D.C., and he only canceled those plans after the military pointed out that the parade would cost $92 million and city officials complained that the costs of repairing the roads (which are made for cars, not tanks) would be a cool $21 million.
Now, it seems Trump’s second attempt at a military parade is likely to happen. And it may be more than a celebration of Trump and the Army…it may just be a way of putting “first buddy” Elon Musk in his place.
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Is Trump putting Elon Musk in his place?
We don’t yet know what the exact plans for this upcoming military parade will be. But if it was going to cost over $92 million in military expenses and $21 million in road repairs in 2018, it’s reasonable to assume this later plan will be even more expensive. And some are saying this may be Trump’s way of putting Elon Musk in his place.
You see, DOGE is all about reducing the cost to taxpayers by eliminating government waste. However, Trump is reportedly planning a celebration that is likely to cost taxpayers over $100 million. This would leave Musk with quite a bit of egg on his face if the president himself spent so much on an event that is, at least partially, a celebration of himself.
But there has been growing speculation that Trump doesn’t like all the talk that Musk is secretly the shadow president running everything behind the scenes. Therefore, Trump’s parade may be a power move to show that he can still do whatever he wants, whenever he wants to. And nobody–not even the world’s wealthiest man–can stop him.