Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic nominee for the 2024 presidential election, recently took the stage at a rally in Georgia to talk about finding bipartisan agreement on the US-Mexico border. It’s a smart move, considering the border issue has been a thorn in her campaign’s side and a favorite talking point for her rival, Donald Trump.
The $118 billion immigration bill that hit lawmakers’ desks in February was supposed to be a shining example of bipartisan cooperation. It had all the bells and whistles: more Border Patrol agents, increased detention capacity, the works. However, it became a battleground, with Republicans, led by former President Donald Trump, slamming it down as handing an undue victory to President Joe Biden in an election year. Trump called the bill “horrendous” and a “death wish” for Republicans, because apparently, compromising is political suicide in Trump’s world. The bill, needing 60 votes to advance, fell short at a dramatic 50-49, showcasing a sharply divided Senate.
Amidst the new spotlight on the ill-fated immigration bill, Stephen King, the horror master who’s been giving Trump nightmares, took to X suggesting that the bill’s failure was orchestrated by Trump’s lingering influence. It’s a bitter pill for some Republicans to swallow, and that includes a certain 53-year-old multibillionaire and Trump superfan, Elon Musk.
Musk, never one to shy away from a Twitter beef, disagreed with King, claiming the bill was a “wolf in sheep’s clothing” that would’ve made things worse. It’s almost comical to watch Musk fanboy over Trump on his shrinking platform, taking on intellectuals he probably shouldn’t mess with. But King clapped back with a reminder that the bill was bipartisan and that Trump, a “private citizen and now a convicted felon,” had no business vetoing it from his luxurious Mar-a-Lago estate.
King just clarified the reality for the toddler, and it’s a reality that many Republicans seem to have trouble grasping: Trump’s influence on their party remains as strong as ever, even as a convicted felon. From serial liar Marjorie Taylor Greene to Matt “I need a better plastic surgeon” Gaetz, these politicians have built their brands on unwavering loyalty to the former president, even in the face of his legal troubles and controversial statements. As a result, they’ve helped normalize Trump’s behavior and cement his status as the de facto leader of the party.
And then there’s Musk, the self-proclaimed champion of free speech and democracy, who seems to have no problem using his platform to amplify the voice of a convicted felon. His actions have made it clear that he’s more interested in pandering to the MAGA crowd than he is in upholding the principles of democracy.