U.S. President Donald Trump, in an interview with NBC News on Saturday, said there would be “serious consequences” if billionaire Elon Musk funds Democratic Party candidates to run against Republicans who vote for Trump’s sweeping tax-cut bill.

Trump declined to say what those consequences would be in the phone interview, and went on to add that he had not had discussions about whether to investigate Musk.

Asked if he thought his relationship with the Tesla and SpaceX CEO was over, Trump said, “I would assume so, yeah.”

    • gAlienLifeform@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      51
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      22 hours ago

      If they take his money and then release a public statement calling him a nazi piece of shit who will never have any influence in their office I’d allow it. Bonus points if they promise Musk they won’t do that before doing it.

      Otherwise, yeah. Musk needs to be a Kanye level pariah at least for what he’s done.

    • pelespirit@sh.itjust.works
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      7
      arrow-down
      8
      ·
      22 hours ago

      I’m mixed on this. I understand the sentiment, but it probably depends on who they’re running against. If it’s a red state and they’re running against a republican, I would be fine with them taking the money.

      • drzoidberg@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        25
        arrow-down
        3
        ·
        22 hours ago

        Musk is a nazi, as evidenced by his nazi salute earlier this year.

        Any democrat that accepts nazi money, it’s saying they’re fine with nazis, which makes them a nazi, because the only scum that’s fine with nazis, are other nazis.

        You can’t condemn nazi behavior while taking money from nazis, and allowing them to support you. You tell them to fuck all the way off, because the only thing a nazi deserves is the comfort of a grave.

        • teawrecks@sopuli.xyz
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          24 minutes ago

          as evidenced by his nazi salute earlier this year.

          I would say the more compelling evidence is the fact that his entire family wealth is a direct result of Apartheid, and now that it has earned him literal richest man in the world status, he uses that status to go out in public and, without a hint of irony, say that white people in South Africa are victims of racism.

        • vaultdweller013@sh.itjust.works
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          2
          ·
          17 hours ago

          It’d be acceptable if they also invited him on stage and shot him dead. Take advantage of his comfort towards what he assumes is moral duplicity and stroke his ego a bit, then well kill him.

        • pelespirit@sh.itjust.works
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          9
          arrow-down
          6
          ·
          22 hours ago

          I see what you’re saying, but taking nazi money from a nazi to spend and then using it to do good in the world? It’s like an ethics trolley problem.

          • drzoidberg@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            21
            arrow-down
            1
            ·
            22 hours ago

            Taking nazi money by seizing his assets is how you go about using nazi money, not by accepting the support of a nazi. If you’re accepting the support of a nazi, you’re no better than conservatives currently accepting the support of nazis.

            • pelespirit@sh.itjust.works
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              4
              arrow-down
              3
              ·
              22 hours ago

              I feel like that’s the best option and you’re right. I just don’t see that happening in America now or in the near future. The next best option is to do what the other poster said and say they will not be bought and won’t be doing anything he asks before they take the money. Also, again, they’re not going against another democrat.

              • drzoidberg@lemmy.world
                link
                fedilink
                arrow-up
                9
                arrow-down
                1
                ·
                22 hours ago

                By accepting money from a nazi, they’re saying they can be bought by a nazi. It’s lobbying, and it’s why we file taxes for a return every year, why climate change is ignored, internet isn’t a utility, weed is federally illegal, and the fairness doctrine got chucked out the window.

      • Bigfoot@lemm.ee
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        8
        ·
        20 hours ago

        Just ignore the labels for a second- would you prefer to vote for the nazi-funded candidate?

      • blitzen@lemmy.ca
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        8
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        edit-2
        22 hours ago

        I wouldn’t say I’d be “fine” with them taking the money under any circumstance. But it’s never going to lead me to voting for repugnacans either directly or indirectly through abstaining.

        • pelespirit@sh.itjust.works
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          4
          ·
          22 hours ago

          That’s what I’m afraid of, that this would lead people to vote 3rd party or republican. Republicans being split up would be great too.

          • blitzen@lemmy.ca
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            6
            ·
            22 hours ago

            I’d go so far as to say Musk donating to a democrat candidate may be done explicitly as a poison pill to reduce support from the base.

            • Zaktor@sopuli.xyz
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              2
              ·
              19 hours ago

              You can refuse donations. Or publicly disavow his support if it’s in the form of independently bought media.

      • drzoidberg@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        20
        arrow-down
        3
        ·
        22 hours ago

        And you’re fine with nazis getting involved with the party? That’s some dumb fuck conservative double think.

        • FaceDeer@fedia.io
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          2
          arrow-down
          7
          ·
          19 hours ago

          You really strongly believe in Citizens United, I guess? A dollar means nothing. It’s something you exchange for goods and services. If Musk gives a dollar to a Democratic candidate, he’s simply empowering that candidate. It’s not some kind of evil spell that instantly contaminates the candidate.

          Sheesh, no wonder American politics is such an irredeemable mess of authoritarianism.

          • ShoeThrower@lemmy.zip
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            1
            ·
            30 minutes ago

            Musk chooses who he gives money to. He’s not going to give money to Bernie, who’s currently rallying against oligarchs. Instead, he’s going to give it to the people who are willing to push his fascist agenda. In the last election that was conservatives, but it’s not like the liberals don’t have freaks of their own. Money and advertising spend largely determines election outcomes, so by giving cash to politicians he likes, he can literally buy elections. Very few politicians would turn down his cash if offered, because they want the advantage it would bring. They also just have a fetish for sucking the toes of large donors.

            • FaceDeer@fedia.io
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              2
              arrow-down
              6
              ·
              18 hours ago

              He’s buying a Democrat into power.

              If Musk donated money to an animal shelter would you conclude that puppies must be evil? Look at what’s being done, not who it’s being done by.

              • chemical_cutthroat@lemmy.world
                link
                fedilink
                arrow-up
                4
                ·
                17 hours ago

                I’d wonder what the shelter was going to do with the unadopted animals, yes. I’d infer they were probably going to his brain chip testing farm.

      • njm1314@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        9
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        22 hours ago

        Brother there’s no amount of lesser of two evils that lets you pick a Nazi. That’s a fucking Line in the Sand.

          • njm1314@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            6
            arrow-down
            1
            ·
            22 hours ago

            If they’re on musk’s payroll that’s who you’re really voting for. Not even mentioning the fact that if you’re taking Nazi money well…

            • FaceDeer@fedia.io
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              3
              arrow-down
              7
              ·
              21 hours ago

              So it’s trivial for Musk to decide who you vote for, then. You don’t care about the candidate’s position, just whose “team” he’s on.

              It’s kind of pathetic watching Americans continue sabotaging their chances of getting out of authoritarian control even now. What will it take to end that purity spiral?

              • njm1314@lemmy.world
                link
                fedilink
                arrow-up
                6
                ·
                edit-2
                21 hours ago

                If you think voting for a guys who work for Nazis is how you get out of authoritarian control I don’t know what to tell you. Also musk isn’t the one deciding that there. The candidates are. If they show me that they’re Nazi sympathizers I’m not going to vote for them. If you find that to be a weird Line in the Sand for somebody then I find that really weird about you.

                I’ll say it again my Line in the Sand is nazis. If you think that’s a purity test fine I’m comfortable with that. That’s one that I’m proud to have.

                • FaceDeer@fedia.io
                  link
                  fedilink
                  arrow-up
                  3
                  arrow-down
                  7
                  ·
                  21 hours ago

                  I’ll say it again my Line in the Sand is nazis.

                  Right. Mine too. And supporting the Republican candidate in the upcoming elections means you’re supporting the nazi candidate.

                  The US is a two party system. If you don’t vote for one, you’re tacitly supporting the other. That’s how Trump got into power. I have no sympathy for people who continue to perpetuate his power.

                  • njm1314@lemmy.world
                    link
                    fedilink
                    arrow-up
                    4
                    ·
                    18 hours ago

                    It’s clearly not your line since you are sitting here saying you should vote for nazis.

      • blitzen@lemmy.ca
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        4
        arrow-down
        3
        ·
        edit-2
        22 hours ago

        It’s a fine line to walk. We do not want to support anyone who freely gets in bed with Musk, but draw too hard a line and we end up with worse (see supporters of Palestine and Biden/Harris/Trump.)