"They should never have started it. They should have made a deal." With these words, Donald Trump has blamed Ukraine for the war with Russia and its nearly three-year duration. During an interview at his Mar-a-Lago residence, the US president expressed annoyance at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's criticism of the US talks with Russia on Tuesday in Riyadh without Ukrainian presence: "Today I heard 'oh, we weren't invited.' Well, you've been there for three years. You should have ended it three years ago. You should never have started it," he defended.
But Trump, accompanied during the interview by Elon Musk, also defended his controversial actions at the White House. "We want to restore the will of the people. If the president's will is not implemented and the president represents the people, that means the people's will is not being implemented, and that means we don't live in a democracy, we live in a bureaucracy. Does that make sense? They accuse us of violating the Constitution, but they are the ones guilty of the crimes they accuse us of (...) they don't care about the Constitution."
C, has stated with a depth, methods, and aggressiveness never seen before. They are fulfilling what was promised, a "purge," a "system reset." And in the face of criticism and rumors of division, they have sat together on the president's favorite network to boast about their relationship, criticize their common enemies, and try to reassure the citizens of the country who may be concerned about the cuts, the information coming out, all the court decisions, all the twists in national and international politics.
Elon Musk is not only the richest person in the world and the owner of X, one of the most powerful voices in human history. Musk is also an unprecedented figure in two and a half centuries of the American republic. An advisor with almost unlimited power, who officially holds no specific positions or supervisors. With full access to the White House, to Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence, to all federal agencies. In practice, a co-president, the one who carries out the official's orders, who makes specific decisions without ever having received a vote or been ratified by Congress.
In recent weeks, not only has Musk's profile and power grown, but inevitably the criticisms have as well. From the opposition, from the media, but also within the Republican Party, which has become little more than a branch of the Maga movement (Make America Great Again) on a day-to-day basis. Unable to act independently in the Senate, to stop any decision or whim of Trump or Musk, out of sheer terror of being banished, of the president supporting a rival in the primaries and the millions from the other businessman financing their campaigns.
And that is why the last hope for millions of Democratic voters, and for supporters of a Republican Party like that of the past, is for the 'co-presidents' to fight. It was taken for granted that it would happen, and soon. But three and a half months after the elections, the bond remains unbroken. And the message they wanted to convey this Tuesday is that it will not break, mocking the doomsayers and attacking the media.
"I see it, I see what they're trying to do. There are many different things. Elon called me one day and said, 'they're trying to separate us.' They say I've handed over control of the presidency to Elon Musk, that President Musk does this and that. It's so evident and obvious. They used to be good at this, but not anymore. If they had been, I wouldn't be president, no one has had more negative publicity than me, no one worse press, 98% of the total. But in the end, people are smart and they see it, they realize what they're trying," said Trump, attacking the media, especially TV networks or AP, saying they only "lie."
Musk and Trump, Trump and Musk granted an unprecedented interview. Presidents usually speak alone, or at most with their families and very occasionally with their vice presidents. But the two appeared last night in front of the cameras of Fox News, with host Sean Hannity for the second time in just over a month, portraying a 'honeymoon,' a cordial, efficient relationship, without tensions, fears, or envies. "It's like I'm interviewing two brothers."
Although there was not a single reference or question about Russia, Ukraine, Putin, or the abandonment of traditional allies, it was an interesting conversation to understand the dynamics, full of details, and the only thing missing was journalism. Both businessmen competed to see who could praise the other more, but they both paled in comparison to the journalist's efforts to flatter them. Insistent on highlighting their "brilliance," their generosity in working for the country for free, their long careers, or the many criticisms they receive. Delighted with the "transformation" they are making, "freeing us forever from the bureaucracy that controls the United States." When Musk complained that he was undergoing something akin to a "daily proctologist exam," the response was: "welcome to Washington. If you want a friend, get a dog."
The goal of Fox, Hannity, the advisors, was no secret. They asked, almost begged, the president and his advisor to reassure the millions of people worried about Healthcare or Education amid announcements of cuts, closures, layoffs. Trump promised an educational system like that of the Nordic European countries, but only touched on some areas, such as Medicare or Social Security "except for fraud," quickly skimming over the cuts and layoffs, talking about alleged waste of billions of dollars.
Similarly, Musk, whose exact role the White House is unable to specify, has assured that if there were any conflicts of interest, he would "recuse himself." And Trump reiterated, saying that "he is a great person, he just wants to improve the country. I know there are people who would take advantage of the situation. He has a different character, it's not like that," he assured. "I have never asked anything of the president," said the world's richest man, citing as an example the legislation he is finalizing on electric cars. "He's probably not very happy, but he hasn't come to ask me for a favor," Trump said.