Leopards Ate My Face

It works. Most "cool kids" aren't really, they just use (often misplaced) confidence and attract others to praise or envy them. Then when you get to the real world the rules are similar but still vastly different. Some adapt, some don't. Also contrary to TV, not everyone is even interested in the "cool kids."

Some never were interested, not in a weird hipster way, but just in a "I don't get it" way. Lots of weird right wingers think Trump is cool for some reason. Aside from hate and spite, I don't really get it. He's funny to mock, but I would never want a clown to lead me.

To me the cool kids were generally the ones not doing very well in school so they would try to make it seem like their choice and adopt an "I don't give a shit" rebellious attitude. They don't follow the rules, that's why their grades are bad, not because they don't have the intelligence. (in their mind).

They would continue to do average or even worse but they would get the admiration of other kids for seeming to have confidence and control and rebelling against the establishment (teachers).

Of course not every one admired that type of behaviour, but the attitude of not caring about the rules is exactly what Donald Trump does. I think most of his life he has been pretty average at what he does, but he was good at self promotion. A skill he probably learned in the playground when he was struggling with school.

In this sense Trump is a "cool kid". He is just a rare example of the cool kid succeeding enough to become famous.

And for what it's worth, I don't think being one of the cool kids is something to brag about once school was over. In fact it generally becomes the opposite at that point. American TV often painted the cool kids as the most capable and popular in every way, but that is fantasy.

Musk on the other hand was not a cool kid, but he desperately wants to be one. He must have some issues from school when he was likely shunned by them or bullied and he is trying to make up for it. Explains a lot of his recent actions actually.

Do it for all his picks. He'll have a meltdown.