×

Howdy, rowdies, Donald Trump and Elon Musk

Trump-Musk silence on Russia and China is striking

The world is already exhausted, and Donald Trump has not even begun his second term. Trump 2.0 threatens to turn into a global sound-breaking roller-coaster ride, upending the world order. Certainties implode, unpredictability prevails, foes become friends, allies are bullied, nothing is impossible and everything up for grabs—especially land. Trump’s taste for real estate endures.

“Do not meddle with our borders,” European leaders warned—not Russia, but the US, their biggest ally and military partner. The president-elect rattled Europe, threatening to use force if necessary to grab Greenland, Denmark’s strategically located Arctic Island. In 2019, when Trump first claimed Greenland, the Danes laughed at the “absurd, April Fool’s Joke”. No one is laughing now.

To appease Trump and “fulfil America’s ambitions”, risk-averse Denmark offers to further augment the existing US base in Greenland. Trump’s jabs already activated Denmark to spend $2 billion for new ships, drones and extending the runway for F-35 fighter jets—to deter hovering Russians and Chinese. Greenland, whose capital Nuuk is closer to Washington than to Copenhagen, has military uses, surveillance value and rich mineral resources. What’s not to grab? And melting Arctic ice opens the northern east-west shipping routes.

Imaging: Deni Lal

Greenland is great, but Trump also has other incendiary plans: annex Canada, seize Panama Canal, rename the Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America.

The officials who served as guardrails in Trump’s first term—gone. Loyalists to lead key ministries—Trump-picked. US Congress, Republican Party, Supreme Court, media, corporates—all under control. Trump is the strongest American president ever. He also has an ace—a main, not sidekick. Elon Musk. The duo is an unfunny, similar but unidentical version of Tweedledum, Tweedledee.

Trump’s nicknames are legendary—Lyin’ Ted, Crooked Hillary, Sleepy Joe, Low IQ War Hawk, Crazy Kamala, Morning Psycho, Tampon Tim, Broken Old Crow.

Mirror-image Musk is more mendacious, menacing and mean. He ranted that British PM Keir Starmer should be jailed because, as former prosecutor, he was “complicit in the rape of Britain”. He called British minister Jess Phillips a “wicked witch”, German president a “tyrant” and German chancellor a “fool”.

Musk aims to topple the democratically-elected UK government and get Germany’s far-right AfD elected in February. German mainstream politicians accuse Musk of misusing his wealth and proximity to Trump to recklessly resurrect Nazi demons of the past. The British are investigating Musk’s untrue tweets about migrant crime, which authorities fear could instigate white supremacists to street violence. Musk called Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau “an insufferable fool” who “won’t be in power for much longer”. He wasn’t. How did Musk know?

In this cacophony, Trump-Musk silence on Russia and China is striking. Western politicians scurry to curry favour. Giorgia Meloni, Italy’s prime minister, a chum of “genius” Trump, announced surveillance technology contracts would be awarded to Musk’s Starlink. Mutual benefit cements the Trump-Musk alliance. The duo can develop, destroy or self-destruct. Analysts expect the emperor-sized egos of the two men will destroy the bromance.

But Psychology Today notes male friendships are sturdy because they are “usually transactional and based around a shared activity”—in this case making money and disrupting the liberal order. “The world as it once was” could soon become a nostalgic refrain in progressive societies.

The Two Musketeers. Trumpty Muskty, Tweedledum, Tweedledee. Whatever nickname sticks, they are a perfect pair to turn the world topsy-turvy. Trump has power, but not much money. Musk has money, but not much power. Together, they are the mightiest, the rowdiest, riskiest, richest twosome the world has ever seen.

Pratap is an author and journalist.