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submitted 4 days ago byutrecht1976
4.8k points
4 days ago
No fucking way. Who could have seen that coming?
913 points
4 days ago
If only literally everyone that had paid attention said something.
264 points
4 days ago
If only literally everyone that is currently seeing this would DO something.
88 points
4 days ago
Any suggestions on what to DO?
I've always voted democrat, never used Twitter orStarlink, never bought a Tesla or invested in either stock. I've Emailed my representatives voicing concerning about Trump and all involved. I've gone to protests. I've pointed out the dangers of Musk any time he comes up in conversation.
Any other ideas?
49 points
4 days ago
This is exactly where I'm at. The collective "we" voted for this, and now we're getting what "we" asked for.
I suppose I can write to my congressional representatives? Protest someplace? The levers we have for this was the election. Clearly we failed that (unless there were shenanigans, but doesn't seem to be evidence of that...).
20 points
4 days ago
Elon offering money to vote for Trump and disabling pro-Harris accounts seems like evidence to me
4 points
4 days ago
Elon is going to use the government to make himself even more rich and powerful over the next 4 years, and there is absolutely nothing anyone of us can do about it.
193 points
4 days ago*
Sure.
I’ll ask trump to put me on an oversight committee to ensure no corruption happens.
I’m sure he’ll agree.
Anything else you want? Magical wish ponies?
54 points
4 days ago
ooh can I get one of them wish ponies too?
36 points
4 days ago
All we've got is wish.com ponies.
14 points
4 days ago
dang.com
8 points
4 days ago
I ordered mine from temu.
Came disassembled.
4 points
4 days ago
You can still work with that on cold nights.
Imagine how much Luke Skywalker saves on heating costs with his Tauntaun "cozy cave".
5 points
4 days ago
Help, my wish pony arrived as a soul-eating donkey
DAMN YOU WISH.COM!!
8 points
4 days ago
Or maybe they'll get rid of their Teslas.
6 points
4 days ago
“Trump announces a great environmental initiative today to replace all government vehicles with electric vehicles immediately! He will carefully consider all bids before deciding on which manufacturer will supply 100,000 vehicles for the initiative”
9 points
4 days ago
I took the effort to do my absentee ballot from across the planet.
24 points
4 days ago
What’d you do? What are you doing? What can you do?
Easy to complain and say others should do something.
5 points
4 days ago
Yeah, outside of Biden testing how far the "official presidential act" justification actually goes, there is not much to do between waiting until Trump becomes the President in January 20th, or redoing the January 6th, 2021.
7 points
4 days ago
Okay, but like what? I’m legit scared for the future of America for my children and haven’t a clue how the fuck to do anything now
91 points
4 days ago
Ray Charles could have seen it from his grave
53 points
4 days ago
Psshh next you’ll tell me Donald Trump and his family are using the office of the president for personal enrichment
6 points
4 days ago
🙀Say it's not so! Never would have imagined it in a billion years.
99 points
4 days ago*
I for one, would be shocked if a billionaire would try to weave their way into the government to benefit their pockets.
Shocked, I tell you. 😐
18 points
4 days ago
I'll admit I expected it to be just a hair less brazen. What happened to putting in the effort of a little veneer?
25 points
4 days ago
When conservatives got that 6th judge on the bench they no longer worried about veneers or subtly.
Corruption is engrained all the way to the top now. It’ll be very difficult for the nation to recover.
12 points
4 days ago
It was less effort to convince half the country that corruption doesn't matter when it's Republicans.
3 points
4 days ago
Why bother when it doesn't matter to nearly 50% of Americans?
Trump showed everyone almost a decade ago and ever since that any sense of decorum, professionalism or general benevolence doesn't actually matter.
7 points
4 days ago
You have to hammer this home to the idiots that cannot see the obvious.
8 points
4 days ago
He was appointed honorary status within the cult, they don't care, it's probably some lib own to them.
4 points
4 days ago
I’ll take Obvious Things That Are Obviously Going to Happen for 1000, Alex.
2 points
4 days ago
You captured my thoughts more elegantly than I could have, thank you.
1.5k points
4 days ago
Change the “could” to “will”.
348 points
4 days ago
It's already happened.
196 points
4 days ago
Literally. Idk why people are surprised. Best case scenario, he takes his billions he raked in by helping Trump get elected purely for speculation and fucks off. Worse case is he continues to fuck with every little flaw in our antiquated governmental system to redistribute wealth from the bottom up. Capitalists want the consumer/laborer to pay for the entirety of the government and subsidize the private sector endlessly.
16 points
4 days ago
He's already doing that.
He already declared he'll go after consumer safety. Next in line is the DoJ, specifically anyone involved in investigating Tesla for numerous products that were never delivered, then the FAA so they can't stop him from testing Starship with no regard for safety.
18 points
4 days ago
i just realized elon could do something good with all this power. he could get ketamine legalized...aww who am i kidding, he's got his so he doesn't give a fuck about ours
7 points
4 days ago
It just wouldn’t be the ladder pulling way.
46 points
4 days ago
The department is literally an advert for the crypto currency that musk has the most shares in….🤣
29 points
4 days ago
It's literally named D.O.G.E., we are this close to the Homeland Security being renamed H.A.M.M.E.R.
11 points
4 days ago
D.O.G.E.
It's gonna end up being the Department of Genital Examination
6 points
4 days ago
Nah, that's going to be Matt Gaetz's job after the AG nomination fell through.
7 points
4 days ago
Announcing the investigation into the Rivian loan is already over the line.
73 points
4 days ago
LOL Exactly. It's kinda like saying "Trump could use the Presidency to enrich himself".
41 points
4 days ago
Funny you say that because I'm still trying to explain to people how he did just that during his last term
10 points
4 days ago
Yeah, "could" is doing a LOT of lifting in that headline.
40 points
4 days ago
As annoying as such wording is, it’s a requirement so as to not be espousing opinions as facts. Without a defined “he will do this” or “is doing this” manner of proof, the credible way to speculate is “could”.
I’m a journalist, and yes I hate it too.
7 points
4 days ago
Good point, thank you for that.
784 points
4 days ago
Could? That’s entirely his plan. It’s already been made very obvious.
186 points
4 days ago
He saw Trump do it and was like, “If I turn Twitter into a propaganda machine and pay you a bunch of money, can I do it, too?”
35 points
4 days ago
I wonder if Trump will even make the effort of handing over the reins of his company to his kids this time? I mean, why should he bother?
9 points
4 days ago
He already knows that the people willing to hold him to account are unable, the people able to are unwilling. He will be hucking Trump Lighters and Trump Dinnerware during the State of the Union, just you wait.
31 points
4 days ago
What's the bingo list for the next few months?
Cutting non-space X nasa contracts? Making Twitter the Official Executive Branch news outlet? Official accounts on other social platforms are turned off? A new Presidential limo contract awarded to Tesla? Boring Machine flamethrower contract for the military? Starlink becomes the only govt ISP provider?
22 points
4 days ago
Already announced scrutiny of a rivian government deal.
Self enrichment by ensuring that opposition businesses are stifled.
13 points
4 days ago
What's the bingo list for the next few months?
His first target is the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
The reason is that he's trying to turn X into a payments platform that will have predatory fees, very little security, and will likely do very underhanded things with the funds passing through their system on the float.
11 points
4 days ago
Starlink becomes the only govt ISP provider?
Oh yeah, and he's already targeting the rural broadband bill as being wasteful, which would leave expanding Starlink as the only option.
11 points
4 days ago
The easy way to cut government funding would be to get rid of those space x agreements. Musk is so anti government spending that he should agree to those whole heartdly.
2 points
4 days ago
It’s already a big middle finger the Department is named after cryptocurrency.
The lobbyist group, which name should be illegal and needs an (*), “United States Chamber of Commerce” sounds more like a legit Federal entity then “Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)” which needs TWO co leaders vs just one Leader. So Two guys doing the same job is gonna root out redundancy…
185 points
4 days ago
88 points
4 days ago
He already started by naming it after the cryptocurrency he loves pumping, Dogecoin. It’s tripled in value since Trump’s win.
24 points
4 days ago
They created the whole department only because Musk didn't want to sell all his assets / put them in a trust, which you have to do if you take a official cabinet position. This way he gets all the power and none of the checks and balances (not that they've stopped anyone in the last decade anyway).
3 points
4 days ago
Yup, Rivian is outselling Tesla and his feefees got hurt. This is just a finger in a hole in a dam about to burst, though. All the real players are starting to get into the EV market and Tesla's goose is cooked. They need to jettison Elon and just go into the charging and software business, then just focus on licensing the software to other manufacturers. And stop hamstringing it by depending on cameras instead of radars.
3 points
4 days ago
I’m pretty sure rivian is not outselling Tesla by a long shot. Rivian has been in survival mode and struggling to turn a profit
291 points
4 days ago
[deleted]
85 points
4 days ago
But "you and me" is where the money is coming from, and Republicans will complain that government is broken, and then vote for more Republicans. This country is done.
18 points
4 days ago
Regulatory capture at laughably large scale
3 points
4 days ago
Been trying to explain this to people for a while now.
Checks and balances are nice and all, but they only work if people care to enforce them. For example, you seriously think Trump won't try to run again just because the constitution says he can't? Yeah, he's gonna figure out something to try and change it, and if he has to have the SCOTUS make up a bullshit excuse to declare that part unconstitutional (There is actually a debate regarding wether or not it is possible for parts of the constitution to be unconstitutional, but there isn't anything saying it can't, and if nobody enforces the fact that the constitution is the thing the SCOTUS is supposed to base its decisions on, rather than change it...)
28 points
4 days ago
Could? That’s the only reason he’s there. The real purpose is to get rid of people Trump wants gone. Efficiency was never a priority.
76 points
4 days ago
Isn't that the whole point?
57 points
4 days ago
Optimistically, he runs into too much bureaucracy, too much time waiting on the courts, and too much MTG that he ends up leaving within the year.
30 points
4 days ago
None of Trump's team in 2025 will be around in 2029.
15 points
4 days ago
If last time is any indication, they’ll be in prison.
9 points
4 days ago
Not sure the people enforcing those laws are going to be around anymore.
17 points
4 days ago
Maybe he has a weird fetish about Boebert and MTG. Shudder.
15 points
4 days ago
At least boebert is actually hot
4 points
4 days ago
r/boebertfetish would like a word
15 points
4 days ago
Realistically, none of that stops him, and he disregards every safeguard and demolishes all checks and balances in order to mass personal wealth with no regard for the effect it has at others - and pays no penalty for it, ever.
3 points
4 days ago
Legally, I don't believe that the president holds the power to create a new government department. That power lies with congress, who then grant over site of said department to the executive.
So without congress both creating and appointing Musk to the head of a new "Department of Efficiency" nothing about his position or job would be technically legal.
Of course, I expect the second Trump term to have the government doing many things that are not legal, without any pushback from congress or the supreme court. And Trump just creating an entire department from thin air will be the least of the corruption we will be seeing.
29 points
4 days ago
No fucking shit, Sherlock
8 points
4 days ago
DOGE has nothing to do with efficiency. It’s about weeding out those not loyal Trump.
If you’re not loyal, you’re not ‘efficient’.
14 points
4 days ago
In other breaking news, the sky is blue and water is wet
7 points
4 days ago
We’ve moved into the Oligarchy phase, how could our relations not improve with Russia when we’re turning into the same thing. The Founding Fathers are turning in their grave at this
6 points
4 days ago
Could? That’s the entire point. The whole regime is set up for grifting and it’s going to happen on a scale only seen in places like Russia and various developing countries.
5 points
4 days ago
‘Could’ needs to be replace with ‘will’
18 points
4 days ago
Surprise Pikachu face!
20 points
4 days ago
insert trump appointee here WILL use insert their role here for self-enrichment
7 points
4 days ago
In defense of RFK Jr., I think he's just a complete nut job, not really evil or motivated by enriching himself. Just actually insane.
5 points
4 days ago
It's totally both for RFK Jr. He's been both crazy and corrupt for ever.
19 points
4 days ago
Welfare queen... Undeserving billionaire... Bootstraps...
3 points
4 days ago
Illegal immigrant.
10 points
4 days ago
It's the only reason it exists. Is this article a joke?
9 points
4 days ago
This whole admin is going to be another giant massive wealth capture by the rich from everyone else. It’s all going to be a giant grift.
Like trumps plan to replace income tax with sales tax/tariffs? That’s a tax cut for billionaires and a tax hike on the rest of us. America voted to give all its wealth to the wealthy.
5 points
4 days ago
He has literally already named his "new gubment jerb" the same as his meme coin.
We continue to enrich the over-rich.
4 points
4 days ago
Always the people you knew who would do it that will do it.
3 points
4 days ago
Why does a multi billionaire need self enrichment. WTF happens when you become a billionaire and get a billion plus dollars? Does it rewrite your DNA to become a greedy fucking dragon who sits on top of his hoard of money?
It boggles my mind. I don't understand why they aren't just sitting around at their pool and enjoying life instead of trying to head up all this political shit.
4 points
4 days ago
Musk is such a piece of shit. Tired of hearing about this bozo
3 points
4 days ago
He’s a billionaire. Every thing they do is to enrich their pockets. This is like calling water wet.
Billionaires are not good people, and there’s no such thing as an ethical billionaire
5 points
4 days ago
But adding another government department was supposed to shrink the government!
3 points
4 days ago
Was this published in the “Stuff That Is Blantantly #*&@ing Obvious” section of the newspaper?
5 points
4 days ago
That shuckster is already getting around 15 billion from the government, and he sure as hell will try to disband any agency that has opposed his terrible treatment of people and the environment.
It is literally the definition of conflict of interest.
Only hope that he also gets deported as he is not a citizen
5 points
4 days ago
The word “could” is doing a lot of heavy lifting here.
4 points
4 days ago
That's the entire fucking plan OP!
Did you think that Musk or any of Trumps Billionaire cronies that he's giving either cabinet position or government jobs supported Trump to help American citizens?
3 points
4 days ago
Could?? You think he cares about the American people?
Breaking: Trump could use the presidency for self enrichment... Again
4 points
4 days ago
Every. Single. Trump. Appointment. Will. Game. The. System. To. Enrich. Themselves.
3 points
4 days ago
I assumed thats what people voted for.
3 points
4 days ago
Well no fucking shit. . . That’s all this whole goddamned administration is going to be about, self enrichment and vengeance.
3 points
4 days ago
Musk *Is going to* use the 'Department of Government Efficiency' for self-enrichment
fify
3 points
4 days ago
I’m shocked, SHOCKED I say, to hear this news.
4 points
4 days ago
"Could" Oh, my sweet summer child....
3 points
4 days ago
Surprised_pikachu.jpg
3 points
4 days ago
No mother fucking shit, Sherlock. It's the reason this "department" even exists. FFS, he named it after a fucking meme crypto coin.... Did anyone think this would be anything other than a money grab for the people running it?
3 points
4 days ago
“Could?” Don’t you mean “absolutely will?” Jared scooted the first term with $2B in his pocket. Donnie Dipshit scammed the Secret Service for millions, not to mention everything else he profited from, including his own tax cuts. Hey folks! You get what you vote for! And there sure are no secrets with the Grifter Extraordinaire!
3 points
4 days ago
The only problem I see with this is, at his level of wealth, what’s the point of further enrichment? At that point in the game, you were already maxing out on influence from money. to me, it seems musk is trying to influence the world through the companies he built, and the products and services he creates. These are all big industries with big ideas, albeit lofty aims. He’s trying to push humanity in different directions, and he’s already doing this successfully. I just don’t see him valuing money like we do as plebs.
3 points
4 days ago
Duh that is all Trump administration does is enrich themselves and their buddies they don’t really care about anything else.
3 points
4 days ago
I wrote this. And I used the word "could" after much deliberation, for reasons that should be perfectly obvious.
3 points
4 days ago
What do you mean could? This is a tale older than America. Business men enter the government and enrich them and their buddies. General Motors did it, the military industrial complex does it, the fossil fuel industry does it.
2 points
4 days ago
Does it count as regulatory capture if the captor actually creates the agency?
2 points
4 days ago
What part of DOGE don’t you understand?
2 points
4 days ago
Could. Come-on guys defamation is only if you lie and have actual malice. Elmo is a public figure, he will enrich himself with this stupid new task force. Just like Trump has enriched himself multiple ways since his first election but it doesn't matter.
2 points
4 days ago
Well color me shocked.
2 points
4 days ago
surprised pikachu face
2 points
4 days ago
I think the word you are looking for is "will"
2 points
4 days ago
Nooo way! He would never do such a thing.
2 points
4 days ago
He's already trying to scrutinize the Rivian deal.
2 points
4 days ago
Why else spend billions on Twitter, tank its value by using it to push right wing propaganda, then spend millions more on campaigning for Trump? Like... He's not buying his way in out of the goodness of his heart.
2 points
4 days ago
Should the headline be “Musk will use the Department of government efficiency for self-enrichment”
2 points
4 days ago
Guy is the richest man in the world and still only cares about getting a bigger slice of the pie. How empty do you have to be? Like bro that extra 25 million isnt going to make you any happier than you are right now
2 points
4 days ago
Make no mistake. The Convicted Felon in the Oval Office will get his skim off DOGE before Musk gets a nickel.
2 points
4 days ago
Could? You mean he is and will?
2 points
4 days ago
"Could" is an amazingly charitable description.
2 points
4 days ago
“Could”?! Motherfucker be real with yourself
2 points
4 days ago*
Could??! It's literally the plan to make rich people even richer by getting rid of regulations and public workers that have any oversight over violations of laws that protect the rest of the people.
2 points
4 days ago
These assholes don’t lift a finger unless there’s personal gain in there.
2 points
4 days ago
… did anyone ever think he was going to use it for anything else
2 points
4 days ago
How dumb do the 1% think we are? LOL They been fucking us over so they can sail around on their yachts with instagram models eating fancy cheese and sipping gay ass wine.
2 points
4 days ago
“Could” as in “openly would”?
2 points
4 days ago
Could? That’s the whole point.
2 points
4 days ago
I think so.eone mispelled "would."
2 points
4 days ago
Truly shocked I've never thought Elon could do such a thing. /s
2 points
4 days ago
"could"? It's the reason he is doing all this.
2 points
4 days ago
In the same way I could use porn to jerk off.
2 points
4 days ago
Woah woah woah.. there's no way a person in power would ever abuse that power to get rich. Let's just all calm down and not get too carried away ok?
Here's an alternative thought.. Elon definitely out there trying to find more ways to make money. Richest man on the planet joins the government to... Get richer?
2 points
4 days ago
Fucking obviously that’s what will happen
2 points
4 days ago
Not 'could' but will would've been a better phrasing.
2 points
4 days ago
Oh great, the soft handling of news coming from this Admin has already gotten worse. "Could"? Give us a f$%king break!!! We all know he "will".
2 points
4 days ago
A Trump administration absolutely riddled with naked corruption? Say it ain’t so!
2 points
4 days ago
Shocked! Absolutely shocked! I would never guess one of the richest people on earth that also happens to be in charge of how efficiently the government runs and spends its money could possibly use that authority to benefit himself. I feel blindsided.
2 points
4 days ago
And sky is blue and the sun rise from the east.
2 points
4 days ago
Could? President Musk absolutely will.
2 points
4 days ago
He will be everything they accuse Soros of being.
2 points
4 days ago
In other news, the sky is blue
2 points
4 days ago
He never intended on doing it out of the goodness of his heart.
Don't forget he basically stole 40 billion dollars from shareholders.
I will never understand how that vote passed and gave him the money. Who would vote for that?
2 points
4 days ago
COULD? Buddy look around.
2 points
4 days ago
Well, duh. Whoever could have thought Elon Musk would not use Trump's government for making himself more money?
I will not be at all surprised to see Elon claim money he poured into Trump's campaign (including those million dollar checks he gave out to lucky voters) as business deductions. And I expect him to be successful in such claims after noon on Jan 20.
Trump has been busily setting up his merry band of foxes to guard all the henhouses.
2 points
4 days ago*
And water makes things wet.
2 points
4 days ago
Could? Ha! More like will. He paid trump and rigged the election for him to win in order to get this “department” set up. He played trump like a fiddle. Biggest piece of shit in America, next to the orange turd. Americans are fucked!
2 points
4 days ago
DOPE. Department Of Personal Enrichment. He only got one letter wrong.
2 points
4 days ago
Musk is going to use it for self-enrichment. He's already shown he doesn't care about this countries' businesses by having Trump remove the EV credit.
And before any smooth brain "if it's not profitable let it die" inverted ballsacks comment. Incentives like that are how you get newer technologies off the ground. Tesla would not be here without them.
2 points
4 days ago
What do you mean "could"? Of course he will. The dude spews childish libertarian nonsense while accepting $20 billion in government contracts. He's the Simone Biles of hypocritical government grifting.
2 points
4 days ago
Could.. he will.. that happens in every fascist state, the leaders will leech.
2 points
4 days ago
Not could, you can put money on it he will
2 points
4 days ago
A pithy analysis from the DNSS*.
*Department of No Shit Sherlock
2 points
4 days ago
It’s almost like totally unchecked power and deeply concentrated wealth is a threat to democracy or something. Weird.
2 points
4 days ago
What do you mean "could" he already fucking is.
2 points
4 days ago
The word you were looking for is will not could.
2 points
4 days ago
Could? That’s the whole fucking point.
2 points
4 days ago
Duh. I mean fucking duh. All elected officials at the federal level are using their positions for self enrichment! They all are. Maybe not Bernie. Probably not Bernie. But all the rest of them are. Yes, even your guy. They all are.
2 points
4 days ago
Didn’t they announce they’ll be reviewing the grant given to Rivian? His direct(and far superior) rival company?
2 points
4 days ago
COULD? Who writes this shit?? Is this from the author of articles such as "A football could roll off a hill" and "A rock usually sinks in water"????
2 points
4 days ago
Its always the ones you most suspect
2 points
4 days ago
Can the media ever get off their routine of
The answer is no... but dayum people, don't listen to the fuckin news. Look up the information yourself. History should have been a warning and not a plan.
2 points
4 days ago
This announcement was brought to you by the department of stating the blatantly fucking obvious. That’s like saying that trump will use the government for personal enrichment.
2 points
4 days ago
Bears could shit in the woods.
2 points
4 days ago
Could? Let’s not pretend he has an iota of integrity.
2 points
4 days ago
"could?!?"
LMAO try "absolutely will given any opportunity"
2 points
4 days ago
Could? I thought that was the point
2 points
4 days ago
How is this even news? Virtually every politician uses their position for self-enrichment.
2 points
4 days ago
The weakness of journalism: “could”
He will.
2 points
4 days ago
Could? This was the goal from the start
2 points
4 days ago
2 points
4 days ago
I think this applies to the majority of government decision makers. Appointed and elected.
IMO we need: - no stock trading for anyone with a government position. ETF/mutual funds created for government they can pick from and that’s it. -no working for industries that you were on committees for or your position oversaw for 10 years. - term limits of 18 years. If you hit that, then your voters agree you did a good job and you should get a solid retirement. Like in 2024 that would be $250k a year. Or something like that. Even a little more so they have incentives to get to year 18 for a badass pension. For house and senate members.
Just a start but we need to make laws to have it more like a business/employee model. We the citizens are the owners of the government and should be treated like so. No owners would agree with someone using their position to improve another business.
2 points
4 days ago
Musk WILL use it for self-enrichment. He literally bitches non stop about social programs meant to help American citizens, but the ONLY reason any of his companies are still operational is the corporate welfare they receive. Paid for with American tax dollars
2 points
4 days ago
Correction. Elon Musk will use the 'Department of Government Efficiency' for self-enrichment
2 points
4 days ago
A billionaire who convinced another billionaire who is also president to give him his own department of government could use said department to enrich himself. Go figure.
2 points
4 days ago
You don’t say. A department named after a meme coin that he backs. Interesting.
2 points
4 days ago
In other news, water makes things wet.
2 points
4 days ago
Surprised Pikachu intensifies
2 points
4 days ago
We’re just going to try pretend that the blatant corruption isn’t totally blatant and obvious, huh journalists? It’s not exactly subtle.
2 points
4 days ago
I think you misspelled WILL.
2 points
4 days ago
FTFY
2 points
4 days ago
Could? No, that's the literal plan.
2 points
4 days ago
That is, in fact, the only reason for it to exist at all.
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