US president-elect Donald Trump‘s team has finally responded to allegations from the opposition that Tesla CEO and DOGE leader Elon Musk is the ‘real president,’ citing his growing influence over the GOP. This comes as a government shutdown looms, with House Republicans and Democrats unable to agree on a short-term spending bill before Friday night’s deadline.
According to a FOX News report, Musk allegedly threatened to back primary challengers against Republicans who supported the previous spending deal.
Trump’s transition spokeswoman, Karoline Leavitt, speaking to Business Insider, said that Trump‘s influence on Republican lawmakers became evident after he declared his position on the Continuing Resolution (CR).
“As soon as President Trump released his official stance on the CR, Republicans on Capitol Hill echoed his point of view,” Leavitt said.
Leavitt stressed that Trump is the leader of the Republican Party, without question.
“President Trump is the leader of the Republican Party. Full stop,” she said.
Musk’s clarifications
Elon Musk clarified on the social media platform X that he wasn’t the author of the proposal rejected in the House of Representatives. He credited the proposal to Trump, vice president-elect JD Vance, and House speaker Mike Johnson.
“First of all, I’m not the author of this proposal. Credit to @realDonaldTrump, @JDVance & @SpeakerJohnson. Second, this is a MUCH better bill that is closer to being a real continuing resolution (not an omnibus masquerading as a CR), but with support for hurricane victims & farmers, as well as a reasonable extension to the debt ceiling. Clean & simple. If Dems reject this & government shuts down, they deserve to lose bigtime in the midterms,” Musk posted on X.
In another post, Musk agreed with a tweet stating, “The Republican Party doesn’t give Musk power.”
“Absolutely. All I can do is bring things to the attention of the people, so they may voice their support if they so choose,” the Tesla CEO said.
Trump and JD Vance’s stance
Trump and JD Vance issued a joint statement on X criticising Congressional Republicans for allowing the country to reach the debt ceiling in 2025. They urged Republicans to address the issue immediately and reject the proposed spending bill they say contains provisions favoring government censors and Representative Liz Cheney.
The statement criticised the bill for potentially concealing records from the January 6th committee and granting Congressional pay raises while many Americans face financial hardship. While acknowledging that raising the debt ceiling is undesirable, they argued it’s better to do so under President Biden’s administration. They questioned the likelihood of Democratic cooperation on the debt ceiling during their potential administration in June.
Trump and Vance advocate for a streamlined spending bill without what they call “Democrat giveaways,” coupled with a debt ceiling increase. They prioritise funding for farmers and disaster relief, framing any other approach as a betrayal of the country.
Trump and Vance encouraged Republicans to take a strong stance against Democratic demands, suggesting Republicans “call their bluff” if Democrats threaten a government shutdown.
The statement concludes: “THIS CHAOS WOULD NOT BE HAPPENING IF WE HAD A REAL PRESIDENT. WE WILL IN 32 DAYS!”
Leaders criticise Musk
Several Democratic politicians criticised Elon Musk’s reported influence on Republican spending negotiations, linking it to a potential government shutdown.
Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) questioned Musk’s understanding of a shutdown’s impact during a House floor speech. “Imagine. What does he know about what people go through when the government shuts down? Are his employees furloughed? Hell no! Is he furloughed? No!” she said. DeLauro also referred to Musk as “president,” suggesting Republicans were intimidated by him. “And you know what? They got scared because President Musk told them, President Musk said don’t do it,” she added.
Former secretary of state Hillary Clinton attributed the looming shutdown to Republicans “taking orders from the world’s richest man.” “If you’re just catching up: the Republican Party, taking orders from the world’s richest man, is on course to shut down the government over the holidays, stopping paychecks for our troops and nutrition benefits for low-income families just in time for Christmas,” she posted on X.
House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries dismissed a revised spending proposal. “The Musk-Johnson proposal is not serious, it’s laughable. Extreme MAGA Republicans are driving us to a government shutdown,” Jeffries told FOX News.
Representative Jamie Raskin also criticised Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy’s involvement. “Everybody agreed” but it “was blown up by Elon Musk, who apparently has become the fourth branch of government. And that’s just an intolerable way of proceeding.” He added, “Democrats are going to try to figure out how we can salvage the public good from the wreckage that’s just been pushed,” according to FOX News.
Possible government shutdown
The US House of Representatives rejected the Republican-backed spending bill on Thursday, increasing the likelihood of a government shutdown. The vote was 235-174 against the bill, which was necessary to fund the government and suspend the debt ceiling.
House speaker Mike Johnson introduced a revised continuing resolution (CR) to extend government funding until March and suspend the debt limit for two years. However, the proposal has encountered opposition from both parties.
Thirty-eight Republicans voted against the bill, highlighting a division within the party, while nearly all Democrats opposed it. The bill had the backing of President-elect Donald Trump and Elon Musk.
The government faces a shutdown if Congress fails to pass a funding bill by midnight Friday. Consequences could include flight disruptions, national park closures, and delayed payments for federal employees and military personnel. The path forward for lawmakers remains uncertain.
#Elon #Musk #leading #GOP #Trumps #team #puts #full #stop #rumors #Times #India
