Trump comes down to the Oval Office, where Elon is packing up his stuff.
M: How’s the most powerful man in the world?
T: Great! The Houthis just bent the knee to me, like everyone else! How’s the richest man in the world?
M: Things have been better. The value of my car company has plummeted. I have to get back to my day job.
T: Well, I’m doing the best I can for you. I bought a Tesla, and I’m sending billions in contracts to SpaceX. And anyone who vandalizes a Tesla is being prosecuted for a hate crime.
M: Much appreciated.
T: I’m sorry to see you go. We sure raised a lot of hell together, didn’t we?
M: Absolutely! The deep state will never be the same. Now it knows you’re the boss. It won’t get in the way again.
T: That’s right. People thought it was about saving money, but it was really about dominance. Now those bureaucrats know I’m the man. They won’t forget it soon. You helped make sure of that.
M: That said, this country does have a problem with debt, and we only scratched the surface. You need to go after the big bucks.
T: Like what? Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid?
M: The defense budget, too. Those four are where the money is.
T: I can’t do that. My voters rely on entitlement programs, and there are too many hawks in Congress to ignore.
M: Then the debt will continue to be a problem no matter what OMB tries. And I’m concerned about the tariffs. Are you trying to turn America into Peron’s Argentina, or are you using the tariffs as leverage to create more free trade? I can’t tell.
T: That’s my way, Elon. I like to keep people guessing. Keeping my options open helps keep our players on side. It also makes me the center of attention, which is very important.
M: But investors need to know what’s going on, even if the voters don’t. You can’t make America great without investment.
T: They’ll figure it out eventually. So will you. (Elon leaves)