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Jeanne's avatar

Yeah. I’m so over palace intrigue stuff along with using ego and personality quirks to explain this administration’s actions. It’s ALL about money. Trump can be bought (hellllllooooo Russia). Period. Yes, he has an ego. And he may even have a little teeny tiny bit of ideology that’s fuels him. But mostly? This man is pretty genius at making (and losing, and then making again) a buck. So for me, when I follow the money, I am able to understand these relationships way better than when I get caught up in questions like “Will Trump start to resent Elon?”. The quid pro quo is pretty clear here. Elon (all the Tech Bros actually) want a). NO govt regulation and b). a brilliant but compliant work force which they’re pissed off they can’t find anymore from the elite universities who are turning out “radicals”. That’s it. In return, they donate BIG dollars.

The other frame that’s helped me with understanding the craziness of this administration is the WWE. Watch the Netflix documentary. It’s testosterone laden soap opera for adult men. It helps explain the chain saw prop that Elon used. It explains how Trump has mastered using visuals so effectively. He is a performer extraordinaire and that skill is something we must take seriously. He’s the National Enquirer but in human form. And he’s super good at it.

Use your wallets as your weapons. It’s working. The 50% who didn’t vote for T have triple the spending power than those who did. Own and use your power every single day.

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Timothy Patrick's avatar

That White House Tesla showcase was a blatant abuse of presidential power. Using government property to promote a private company owned by a presidential adviser/donor is exactly what ethics rules are designed to prevent. But what are ethics rules now, anyway?

Remember the Goya incident in 2020? After boycotts hit Goya when their CEO praised Trump, Ivanka posted herself holding Goya products with "If it's Goya, it has to be good." Walter Shaub, who was the Director of the Office of Government Ethics under Obama and briefly under Trump before resigning in protest, immediately called it what it was: "an ethics violation" and "misuse of position." The rule (5 CFR § 2635.702) clearly prohibits federal employees from using their position to endorse products.

Why did Ivanka face zero consequences? Because the Trump administration essentially neutralized the ethics office, and the Department of Justice under Barr wasn't going to pursue it. Plus, the President has the authority to exempt White House staff from ethics rules - which is exactly what happened.

And therein lies the fundamental problem: White House ethics rules are essentially enforced by the White House itself. This circular arrangement means that when an administration decides to ignore ethics standards, there's almost no immediate recourse. The Office of Government Ethics can make recommendations, but it has no real enforcement power. Congress could theoretically act through oversight, but that depends on the branches of our government holding checks against each others’ powers (RIP). It's a system that relies almost entirely on norms and good faith, which have also died prematurely (thoughts and prayers).

This Tesla showcase is far worse than Goya, though. It wasn't just a social media post but an official White House event where Trump openly admitted he was doing it to help Musk's stock price. It's a government-sponsored, taxpayer-funded infomercial for a company that's facing legitimate consumer concerns.

And Tesla is a terrible purchase right now anyway - their quality control is abysmal (bottom tier in Consumer Reports for most of its history), service centers are overwhelmed with weeks-long waits, resale values keep crashing with Musk's erratic price cuts, their self-driving tech remains perpetually "almost ready" despite years of false promises, and out-of-warranty battery replacements can cost as much as a decent used car. Now that every major manufacturer offers EVs with better build quality and proper dealer networks, Tesla's main advantage is evaporating.

It’s hard to tell if this should be called a boycott, or are people just starting to realize they were shelling out tons of money for an inferior product that supports fascism…

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