'Resents the idea': CNN analyst sees Trump bristle as Democratic attack strategy hits home
The Democratic Party has finally hit on an attack tactic which has found its target with Trump, a CNN analyst reported Monday.
“The gambit, a welcome opening for a party that struggled to fashion a convincing message in the election and that has been flailing ever since, seems to have worked," wrote Stephen Collinson.
The strategy — used by multiple Democrats over the past weekend — is to take aim at the president-elect’s sense of security by suggesting his ally, Elon Musk, is really pulling the strings in his administration.
They “are trying to tweak Trump’s vanity, mockingly suggesting that even after winning a second term, he is still not as powerful as the South Africa-born tech mogul whom he put in charge of slashing the size of government once the president-elect takes office,” Collinson wrote.
ALSO READ: Why ABC settled a case they knew they would win — and why the Lincoln Project didn't
The scheme saw several Democratic Party representatives on the weekend TV shows, suggesting that Musk’s tweets on the spending deal — which many say killed the first bill proposed by Speaker Mike Johnson — showed who was really wielding power.
“This is a predictor of what’s likely to happen,” said Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) on “State of the Union.”
“We’re not just going to have President-elect Trump as a billionaire rage-tweeting at 4 a.m. We’re going to have Elon Musk also injecting instability into how we tackle very complicated and important issues for our country.”
“On Wednesday morning, Elon Musk proved that he is the real leader of the Republican Party, because over the course of about four or five or six hours, he tweeted nonstop against the deal that had been negotiated and agreed to by all sides,” Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-PA) said on CNN.
And it appears to have hit home, with Trump actively taking the bait.
“No, he’s not taking the presidency,” Trump said Sunday.
“No, he’s not going to be president, that I can tell you. And I’m safe, you know why? He can’t be — he wasn’t born in this country.”
Collinson added, “Trump’s comments suggested at the very least that the constant coverage of Musk’s role has caught his eye and that he resents the idea that his new best friend is the power behind the throne.
“They will also stoke fresh speculation over how long the president-elect, who doesn’t normally like to share any spotlight, will tolerate Musk’s soaring profile.”