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Welcome to logoff: Has the Trump Mask partnership ended? That's complicated, but from today onwards it looks like yes.
What happened? President Donald Trump has fixed his legislative hopes on a “big, beautiful bill” that passed the House last month. Today, Elon Musk targeted the bill as “large, outrageous, pork-filled… nasty and hateful.”
Is it important to see what your mask thinks? It may not be as good as it once was. This is a transitional moment for Musk, who is heading out after the end of his time as an official government employee last week. At a farewell press conference, Trump dismissed his departure, saying, “Elon really won't leave. He'll come and go.”
In private, Trump reportedly expressed skepticism about Musk and asked whether the government's efficiency efforts were “all bullshit.” Nevertheless, the reports have so far suggested that Trump judicial relations are generally friendly, but Musk's new broadside to Trump's bill may be a sign of something worn out.
What did the mask actually achieve? In some respects, relatively few – as my colleague Andrew Procop reported, Musk and Doge were unable to approach anywhere on the scale of their promise. But at the same time, the masks were causing a terrible amount of damage. His US foreign aid alone has already caused hundreds of thousands of deaths, some estimates, and continues to cause more.
What do masks do now? Reportedly focusing on his long list among his long corporate, Tesla and SpaceX Chiefs, reducing the amount of time he spends in politics. Musk also said in May that he would make “far less” political spending in the future. At least, his comments on Tuesday suggest that he doesn't end in politics, but it's still unclear how influential he is.
And so, it's time to log off…
We're back today to the classics of logging off from the bald eagle's nest from my colleague Patrick Reis' favorite live stream. The nest is home to Jackie and Shadow of the Bald Eagles and is located in the Big Bear Valley, California. I hope it is your night's peaceful moment and we will be back here tomorrow.
