House Republicans Say Elon Musk Is Dragging Down Party: Rooting for Special Election ‘Massacre’ So GOP Will Bench Him
AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps
House Republicans are pointing the finger at Elon Musk for their struggles in special elections ahead of voters’ trip to the ballot box on Tuesday.
According to Politico’s Jonathan Martin, while President Donald Trump has christened April 2 “Liberation Day,” “April 1 could be, and should be, Liberation Day for congressional Republicans when it comes to Elon Musk.”
“There’s little that congressional Republicans and their counterparts in state capitals can do about Trump and his insistence on pushing inflation-spiking tariffs. He grips his party like no modern president, and they must accommodate every impulse,” wrote Martin in a new column. “However, Musk has turbocharged the backlash to Trump and accelerated the revival of demoralized Democrats and independents appalled by the billionaire’s cavalier attempt to slash the federal government. If they don’t push the White House to cut Musk loose, Republicans are tempting a replay of 2017 and 2018, when Democrats scored gains in Trump’s first term, but with twin targets for the left this time.”
The veteran reporter went on to note that one House Republican told him that they’re actually rooting for their party to struggle in key races in Wisconsin and Florida on Tuesday so the will bench the billionaire.
From Martin’s story:
An ”April 1st massacre” would be “a beautiful thing,” said one of the GOP lawmakers, because it would rouse congressional Republicans to the damage Musk is doing and hand political capital to the lawmakers facing the most difficult races next year.
“There will be 26 or so people watching Tuesday, and they’ll decide how they want to be part of the team going forward,” said this House Republican, alluding to the most endangered GOP lawmakers.
The GOP lawmakers, this member said, grasp the political damage Musk is doing because “the shit he puts up on the internet” about government spending or savings “is wrong,” but when it relates to their districts, it gets picked up by both their MAGA base and local media outlets, angering different blocs of voters.
The other House Republican, remaining somewhat more restrained, said the White House needs to effectively declare victory and thank Musk for his service. “Elon’s work needs to wrap up, and he needs to exit stage left,” said the lawmaker.
Musk has emerged as one of the most controversial figures in the Trump administration, as his work at DOGE and constant stream of social media activity continue to steal headlines. He nevertheless traveled to Wisconsin this week to campaign on behalf of the GOP’s state Supreme Court candidate.
