this post was submitted on 03 Feb 2025
62 points (98.4% liked)

United States | News & Politics

7481 readers
285 users here now

founded 4 years ago
MODERATORS
 

Elon Musk, the tech billionaire and unelected adviser to President Donald Trump, is asserting control over much of the federal bureaucracy and sensitive government computer systems despite lacking clear authority.

The highest-ranking career official at the Treasury Department was pushed out after refusing to hand Musk’s team the keys to the government’s entire payment system and the $6 trillion in payments the system processes annually, including Social Security checks, tax refunds and Medicare benefits. Musk and his team have also seized control at the Office of Personnel Management and the General Services Administration, key institutions that function as the central nervous system of the U.S. government.

“In any other situation, this would be called state capture, and people around the world would be condemning it,” says Democratic strategist Waleed Shahid, who writes in a new blog post that Elon Musk is staging a coup.

top 6 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] SinningStromgald@lemmy.world 21 points 2 days ago (1 children)

“In any other situation, this would be called state capture, and people around the world would be condemning it,” says Democratic strategist Waleed Shahid, who writes in a new blog post that Elon Musk is staging a coup.

And why the fuck aren't they?

[–] Perhapsjustsniffit@lemmy.ca 7 points 2 days ago

Because it isn't being reported widely. If I only watched 6pm and 9pm news sources and read regular media, like many in the rural Canadian area I live do, I wouldn't know either. I read here and other alternative media sources as my friends in Europe and middle east start texting madly about the happenings south of us each night when musk likes to revel in his crushing of the US government completely. Then we see small by lines about it in articles geared toward the trade war that was instigated to cover up what is happening a week later. No hifd or puff. No mentions at all many times. It's all a giant ruse and people are falling for it because of the serious threats to sovereignty within their own countries.

[–] some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org 12 points 2 days ago (1 children)

No, the coup already succeeded.

[–] Perhapsjustsniffit@lemmy.ca 8 points 2 days ago

When they went directly for the Treasury you all should have picked up arms.

[–] Didros@beehaw.org 11 points 2 days ago

Y'all are still debating if he did a nazi salute. Should have this coup figured out by 2058.

[–] Sanctus@lemmy.world 4 points 2 days ago

Yes for the love of fucc let's do something. Right now.