The putative president of the United States, Donald Trump, stood on the White House lawn. In his hand, he held a sales pitch for Tesla cars. The most powerful man in America, Elon Musk, attired for a very casual funeral and looking miserable, stood next to Trump. As Trump spoke, promising to buy a Tesla, Musk stood with his arms folded over his chest, giving the undeniable impression of a sulking toddler. Later, Trump threatened to label anyone vandalizing Teslas or Tesla dealerships domestic terrorists.
The entire incident was, in its way, revelatory. A series of protests had targeted Tesla dealerships and owners, as Americans expressed their distaste for Musk, the unelected leader of the US. The instinct, in response to real behavior, was to create a media moment: a Tesla ad.
One of the bizarre hallmarks of the Trump era is a set of elected officials who increasingly cannot tell apart spectacle and reality â as well as a group of voters who seem similarly confused. Take the Trump voter insisting that government agencies get tax cuts for DEI initiatives, as a baffled Sam Seder attempts to explain that, in fact, government agencies are what taxes are for, and thus are not taxe …
