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Musk's Sweet Ride on Trump's Gravy Train: Billions for the Billionaire [1]

['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']

Date: 2025-07-11

I call bullshit.

Elon Musk didn't just luck into a golden ticket with Donald Trump's 2025 presidency – he engineered it, stepping in as a "special government employee" to co-lead the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, with Vivek Ramaswamy. That gig? It opened doors wide, letting him tweak policies, slash red tape, and steer billions toward his empire: Tesla, SpaceX and its Starlink offshoot, xAI, Neuralink, and The Boring Company. In those first frantic 100 to 130 days, the payoffs piled up fast. We're talking cold, hard wins backed by facts, not fairy tales.

Dodging Bullets: Investigations Vanish Like Smoke

Before Trump swaggered back into the Oval Office, Musk's outfits were staring down over 32 federal probes from 11 agencies, with fines that could've topped $2.37 billion. Poof – many vanished. Agencies got gutted, watchdogs fired, and Musk's inside track made sure the heat stayed off.

Take Tesla: That Department of Labor audit sniffing around racial bias and harassment? Killed by executive order. The Transportation Department's dig into autopilot crashes that left folks dead? Eased up, safety be damned.

SpaceX and Starlink weren't left out. The Justice Department dropped a case on hiring discrimination against refugees and asylees. USAID's look into Starlink's shady Ukraine dealings? Scrapped as the agency crumbled. Even the Air Force waved off debarment, ignoring Musk's chats with Putin – because why not?

Neuralink got a pass too: USDA's probe into botched animal tests – think dead monkeys – ended when the inspector general got the boot.

Bottom line? At least 40 cases stalled out, from FAA fines to SEC gripes. Billions saved. Trump's axing of 17 inspectors general and ethics rules let Musk run wild, no leash in sight.

Contracts Galore: Uncle Sam Opens the Wallet

Musk's companies have sucked up $15.4 billion in federal deals over the last decade. Under Trump, that spigot cranked wide open, especially with Defense budgets jumping 13%.

SpaceX snagged $5.9 billion for launches, another $100 million for a NASA telescope, and prime spot for the $25 billion "Golden Dome" missile shield. The Pentagon's eyeing them for global cargo hauls too – cha-ching.

Starlink ? Deals with Border Patrol for spying tech, FAA kit leases, and a near-miss on a $400 million State gig. The FCC flipped a $900 million subsidy denial, and broadband rules bent to let Starlink in, glitches or not.

The Boring Company ? Chatting up a multi-billion Amtrak tunnel deal.

Tesla 's angling to sell cars to the feds, elbowing Ford's $8.5 billion contract, plus overseas wins like Saudi nods for robotaxis and Starlink on ships and planes.

NASA's $93 billion Artemis moon shot ? Dialed back for Mars dreams on SpaceX rockets. The old SLS system's phased out, freeing cash for Musk's toys.

Musk's DOGE perch gave him peeks at Treasury's $5 trillion payment guts – insider trading for contracts, basically.

Rules Bent, Rivals Burned: The Policy Playground

Trump's dereg frenzy was tailor-made for Musk. Self-driving car regs loosened? Tesla's AI stock soars. Tariffs hammer Chinese EVs? Tesla smirks from the sidelines. Even tiny Lesotho inked Starlink deals, probably to kiss up amid U.S. trade squeezes.

DOGE slashed SEC and FAA oversight, speeding SpaceX launches. Ethics? Musk skipped disclosures, ignoring conflicts despite $3.8 billion in '24 contracts – because rules are for little people.

X, his Twitter remake, turned into the government's megaphone. Agencies post there only, luring advertisers back after Musk's buyout tanked it.

Wealth Skyrockets: The Personal Payday

Musk's fortune ballooned over $100 billion since Election Day 2024, hitting around $400 billion by mid-2025. His firms added $613 billion in value.

That $277 million he funneled to Trump and the GOP? Best investment ever – returned in spades via these perks.

Musk played "Technoking" in DOGE, with Trump hyping Tesla at White House bashes and vowing crackdowns on anyone messing with his plants.

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