Musk's new exile
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For Democrats in both chambers, Elon Musk will remain persona non grata, even if they were cheering him on during his slugfest with President Trump.
Why it matters: Musk is learning that he's a man without a party if he can't resolve his MAGA feud.
- He has bags of cash that some Democrats are eyeing, but he has even more political baggage — from his opposition to trans rights to his heavy focus on white South African farmers.
☢️ That makes him radioactive in Democratic primaries, and his companies are risking the same fate.
- Democratic candidates in New Jersey, Michigan, Illinois and Minnesota are facing questions about donations from Musk's SpaceX and its lobbyists.
- Many of the Democrats say their campaigns have donated away the contributions to wash their hands of the Musk connection.
🔥 Musk won't get a lifeline from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who said Trump "might not be the president of the United States ... without the hundreds of millions [Musk] spent."
- House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), asked about some Democrats saying the party should embrace Musk, told us: "I have not heard that."
⚠️ Zoom in: Even Democrats who previously expressed some affinity for Musk said their party should keep him at arm's length.
- Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) said Democrats should "engage in every asset we have as a check on Donald Trump" but said Musk "has to be held accountable" for his work at DOGE.
- "His decimation of the federal government was an unforgivable sin," Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) said, adding that Musk is also "so erratic and so mercurial as to be unreliable, just like Donald Trump."
The disdain extends deep into the Democratic ranks:
- "Personally, I don't associate myself with someone who does Nazi salutes in public," said Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.).
- "He's a lunatic," Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) told us about Musk. "We'll agree with him on some of the things he's saying, but embracing him is pretty out of the question."
A Musk spokesman did not respond to a request for comment.
— Andrew Solender, Stephen Neukam and Hans Nichols
