Politics and Influence: Controversies in Europe

Multiple developments over the holiday break raise real questions about who will call the shots in Donald Trump’s still-forming administration. Elon Musk seemed to commandeer aspects of legislative strategy, immigration, and foreign policy. Republicans in Congress seemed to heed Musk over Trump, while leaving Trump wide berth to enrich himself and crack down on his enemies.

In this episode, Matt and Brian discuss:

* How Musk, an unelected immigrant oligarch, built so much sway over the GOP, and why he might be interested in Trump administration policy outside of DOGE and government contracts.

* Is Musk too rich and influential for Republicans too control, or is Trump simply too diminished to head the government and his party simultaneously?

* Whether a MAGA coalition comprising tech billionaires (who support certain categories of immigration) and grassroots nativists (who do not) can long endure.

Then, behind the paywall, what will this mean when it’s time for Republicans to fund the government, increase the debt limit, or enact substantive. Will Republicans, with a historically tiny House margin, be able to pass any meaningful legislation at all? Do they feel they have leeway over the details of policy, so long as they let Trump’s corruption run rampant? What are the tail risks of a corrupt executive branch with no clear leader, checked only by a paralyzed Congress?

All that, plus the full Politix archive are available to paid subscribers—just upgrade your subscription and pipe full episodes directly to your favorite podcast app via your own private feed.

Further reading:

* Brian on Trump, tech weirdos, and the GOP’s seemingly successful quest for cultural dominance.

* Matt on the menace of Trump’s unapologetic political renaissance.

* Norm Ornstein on the mess Trump is preparing to dump on Mike Johnson and the congressional GOP.