Their Take
President Trump and Musk roared into 2025 with bold pledges—Trump vowing to drain the swamp again. and, Musk promising to slash government waste via DOGE alongside Vivek Ramaswamy. They’ve hyped big wins: Trump’s team touts $4.5 trillion in tax cuts promised over the next decade (Politico, Feb ‘25), alongside hundreds of January 6 pardons already granted (DOJ, Feb ‘25). MAGA’s cheering—progress sounds deafening.
Social media exploded with optimism. Conservative influencers posted victory threads. Memes painted Trump and Musk as unstoppable and Musk as the freedom-tech savior. State rallies and town halls lit up with chants of “MAGA is back!” and “Make Musk Matter.” This wasn’t just policy—it was emotional fuel for a movement that felt reborn after years of legal battles, media suppression, and political stagnation.
Even the mainstream media, while critical of Trump and Musk, couldn’t ignore the noise. The Washington Post warned of “radical shifts ahead,” while CNN fretted about the return of executive power plays. Pundits debated whether Trump’s early moves were just populist theater or the beginning of a genuine power reset. For supporters, it felt like a long-awaited reboot of 2016 energy—only bigger, louder, and backed by Silicon Valley firepower.
But beneath the surface of bold promises and viral moments, it seems that cracks were forming between Trump and Musk. The machinery of government wasn’t shaking—it was absorbing. And as the noise rose, the real question was being drowned out: where was the actual bite?
Counter
Where’s the meat? That $4.5 trillion tax cut? It’s a House budget promise from February 25, not law—still stuck in reconciliation, no Senate vote, no signature (AP News, March ’25). Swamp-draining arrests—anyone?—zero. January 6 tapes, pledged January 19, still missing by March (X chatter). Epstein files? Still sealed. Kennedy files? Scrubbed and re-shelved. Big talk, no teeth.
Musk’s $2 trillion DOGE cuts? Now it’s a maybe $1 trillion—if that—depending on how the lawsuits and court fights shake out. The federal budget from February didn’t slash spending; it added to the deficit (CBO projections). That’s not disruption—it’s delay.
And on X, Musk’s free speech platform? It’s muzzling voices, not empowering them. Laura Loomer’s suspension in December 2024—over a visa spat, no less—sent a signal. She’s back now, but the damage lingers. If even MAGA loyalists get silenced on their “free speech” turf, what’s really changed?
Executive action was supposed to shake the system. Instead, the system absorbed it, slowed it, and maybe even co-opted it. The machine rolls on. MAGA got a few bones. The Deep State still has the meat.
Strike
These wins are pacifiers—tax cuts and pardons shouted to keep MAGA clapping while the system rolls on. Once lions—Trump post-assassination attempts (July, Sept ‘24), Musk pre-DOGE—now leashed. What flipped it? Fear, leverage, or a quiet pivot? The crowd’s still roaring; I’m not sold—promises don’t bite. Is the Deep-State winning behind the scenes?
Trump’s post-reelection edge has dulled. The firebrand who once tore through D.C. norms now walks a tightrope between bold speech and bureaucratic dead ends—especially as unelected judges continue to block his every move, as we explored here. His pardons have made headlines, but what about prosecutions? Where are the arrests? Where’s the follow-through on the “drain the swamp” mandate voters handed him—again?
Musk, once hailed as the billionaire rebel fighting Big Tech and federal bloat, now feels… quieter. His DOGE cuts are being stalled, his platform polices dissent, and even allies like Laura Loomer have found themselves censored. He’s still tweeting fire—but the system seems to be shrugging it off.
What we’re watching might not be surrender, but it’s not dominance either. It’s hesitation. Controlled resistance. If Trump and Musk are still fighting, it’s not clear who they’re landing punches on. The enemy isn’t afraid. And maybe that’s the point.
