Failed opportunity of Elon Musk: from the political bureau

Welcome to the online version of Political officeAn evening newsletter that brings you the latest report and analysis of the NBC News Policy team from the White House, Capitol Hill and the campaign campaign.

In today’s edition, Jonathan Allen reviews the passage of Elon Musk to the White House while he is preparing to leave Washington. In addition, we have the last in the back and forth of the courts on the pricing regime of President Donald Trump.

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– Adam Wollner

Elon Musk’s missed opportunity

Jonathan Allen analysis

Elon Musk Out of the Beltway this week Having blew a golden opportunity to make larger, better and more beautiful changes to the way the American people are served by their government.

The megabillionaire has poorly judged its own popularity and that of its mission, alienated the main stakeholders in both parties, too walked and undernourished. The shame for those who believe in reducing the deficit and the effectiveness of the government is that Musk could have found more use in a scalpel than its famous false chainsaw.

It is not shocking that someone who is used to making unilateral decisions concerning strategies, budgets and functions of companies would not manage to meet their own expectations concerning the renovation of a government in which power is diffuse and that shareholders – American citizens – have concerns that go beyond the essential.

If voters only cared for profits and losses, the nation would not be 36 billions of dollars of debt, with more deficits aligned on the horizon.

Certainly, Musk can claim the success of the reduction of certain federal programs, reduces the workforce and canceled contracts. But it’s a drop in the bucket. Even his Doge website claims Only $ 175 billion in savings – far from its objective of “At least 2 dollars billions. “And he and his team distorted their work on And on And on And on Again.

Doge’s most important heritage can consist in catalyzing a modernization of government systems – although criticisms have raised concerns On the access of his team to the personal data of the Americans. And we don’t know how diverse Proceedings against DOGE actions will prove.

Musk could have entered Washington with the modest promise to operate the government more easily at a cost lower than the public. He could have taken the interest of the Bipartite Congress for his invitation plans to work with the legislators – people who authorize and finance executive power – to make lasting changes. Instead of reading the Donald Trump elections as a white cubic for citizens, he could have marketed his plans thanks to a national campaign to build public support.

But Musk has chosen to see everyone outside his island group as an enemi as an enemy, and he tried to defeat them all with a shock strategy more suited to the corporate war than governance.

As the White House quietly recognized its departure on Wednesday evening, Musk had become a lightning rod in Washington. He emerged as a Leading political Boogeyman for Democrats While angry certain Republicans of the Congress by reducing the programs they like and by forcing them to try to fill the budgetary hole left by its unattended objectives.

By a measurementHis national approval rating is slightly less than 40% – which makes him an effort on Trump. Tesla, its automotive agency, has recovered from the end earlier this year, but its stock is still down approximately 5% for the year. And while SpaceX did not disintegrate without him at the bar full time, Some of its projectiles have.

Musk took to Washington with a mandate of the man in charge and he moved away not managed to achieve it.

An explosion of the past: Musk is not the first case of one of the richest men in the world taking an influential position in Washington who did not quite go as planned. As Scott Bland writesIts history has key similarities with those of Andrew Mellon, who was secretary of the Treasury to three GOP presidents in the 1920s and 30s.

Whuplash: the court of appeal temporarily allows Trump prices to move forward

This time, the courts were responsible for an offbeat and outward tariff cycle.

Thursday afternoon, a court of appeal overturned the decision of a federal panel on the sales group approximately 24 hours earlier which canceled a series of prices of President Donald Trump targeting other countries, Rob Wile and Steve Kopack report. A second court decision earlier Thursday by an American district court reached a conclusion similar to that of the commercial court.

By granting the request for suspension of the Trump administration, the Court of Appeal submitted these prices in force while it weighs the case.

The commercial court decision would have the effect of reducing the average effective rate of the United States by 15% to 6.5%, according to Capital Economics Consultancy. The decision did not affect import rights On cars, automotive parts and steel and aluminum.

How the markets responded: The markets initially applauded the possible elimination of certain import taxes. But Thursday afternoon, most of the gains had decreased. Experts said court decisions finally add another layer of uncertainty to Trump’s trade war effort.

How the White House replied: Trump administration officials said they were considering other ways to rehabilitate the affected prices, but were convinced that their original guidelines would be reintegrated.

“We will see what is happening on appeal, and we are very confident in our success there,” said the director of the National Economic Council, Kevin Hassett, in Fox Business. “But the fact is that there are things, measures … that we could start now.”

“But we are not planning to continue them for the moment because we are very, very confident that this is really incorrect,” added Hassett.

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