Kara Swisher Says Elon Musk Is Everything the Right Ever Accused George Soros of Being: He’s ‘Buying Elections!’
Progressive podcasters Brian Tyler Cohen spoke to veteran tech journalist Kara Swisher on his popular show over the weekend and asked her to weigh in on Elon Musk’s latest electoral moves, handing out millionaire checks in support of a Supreme Court race in Wisconsin.
“Well, look, I want to zoom out a little bit. Republicans have been really effective more broadly over the decades at finding villains. George Soros has been one, again, for decades,” began Tyler Cohen, asking:
Is Musk not just the same exact thing, if not worse on the right, as the very thing Republicans have clutched their pearls about on the left for decades?
“Hello, they went on and on about safety of communications, and they just did the worst thing ever. And they’re like on Hillary Clinton. These people don’t have– hypocrisy is so thick,” Swisher said, referring to Signalgate, adding:
It’s kind of ridiculous. And there’s lots of, we’ll talk about that in a second. But yes, he’s explicitly, Brian, keep this in mind.
Every accusation is a confession with these people. Whatever they say, I’m like, oh, that’s what they’re doing. So if they accuse someone of something, it’s because that’s what they’re doing.
Elon is exactly what they claim to have hated with George Soros. But he’s explicit and right in front of you, buying elections. That’s what he’s doing.
That’s what he’s doing in Wisconsin right now. That’s what he’s doing everywhere.
“He’s straight up paying people to sign a petition in Wisconsin, which is basically just him saying he’s buying votes, which is the same scheme that he pulled in Pennsylvania,” Tyler Cohen interjected.
“And it worked. Let me just tell you, it worked. By the way, thank you, Citizens United,” Swisher said, adding:
It’s legal to do this, what he’s doing. Now, maybe they’ll stop him for all kinds of reasons, but Elon Musk, one of the great attributes of him, he just doesn’t, he blows through stop signs. That’s his greatest skill, is blowing through stop signs.
And so that’s what he’s going to do until you stop him. And of course, nobody now is going to stop him, because Trump needs him for a variety of reasons, for not just the money, because there’s plenty of rich people. But he’s willing to take the heat for Trump in a way that’s really significant.
Elon’s negatives are way down. Trump’s are just slightly down, right? But Trump is Elon, and Elon is Trump, but Elon’s taking away, he’s a heat shield, in rocket terms, is what he’s doing.
“But do you think that sticks? Do you think that, let’s say, there comes a point where Elon does lose his political usefulness for Trump, and Trump finally cuts bait,” Tyler Cohen added, asking, “Do you think that then Trump basically gets to start fresh and all of the negatives just rest on Elon, he’s gone, so that Trump just gets to start over fresh?”
“No, because Elon’s approval rating is falling through the floor. I’ve never seen such a brand destruction as this. This is really quite something,” Swisher replied, adding:
I don’t know, I don’t know. I think he thinks Elon’s a massive distraction at the same time as doing significantly troubling things. But even North Carolinians don’t like the major federal agency cuts, they don’t like any of this.
And so Musk is a very polarizing figure. And even though Republicans view him favorably, I suspect more and more, as you’re seeing all over the place, we don’t like this guy, what is he doing here? And it’s not to say other presidents haven’t had rich people secretly around them, but nothing like this.
Not someone whose finger is in the pie, so explicitly. And I think people like their corruption quiet, I guess, I don’t know what to say or something, but this guy is explicitly tit for tat. Let’s get rid of the agencies that are investigating me in any way.
Watch the full clip above.
