(OPINION) The word “bombshell” has been so grossly overused for so long that it is guaranteed to make anyone’s eyes roll. But what other word fits?
With just a week until the presidential election, Donald Trump’s close ally and major economic adviser Elon Musk is warning supporters to expect economic chaos, a crashing stock market and financial “hardship” — albeit “temporary” — if Trump wins.
It sounds so extreme that Trump fans must either wonder why he had been so foolish as to say the silent part out loud, or maybe hope that the whole story is made up — “fake news.”
But it’s very real. Billionaire Musk, Trump’s would-be budget-cutting and government-efficiency czar, also says there will be “no special cases” and “no exceptions” when he starts slashing federal spending after Trump takes office.
And he predicts he will need “a lot of security” personally because of the likely reaction to his policy moves.
Speaking Tuesday on a “telephone town hall” with supporters, Musk promised deep federal budget cuts, austerity and economic pain ahead in a new Trump administration.
“We have to reduce spending to live within our means,” Musk said. “That necessarily involves some temporary hardship, but it will ensure long-term prosperity.”
Describing government spending as “a room full of targets,” Musk said: “Like, you can’t miss. Fire in any direction, and you’re going to hit a target.”
He said, “I think once the election takes place we’ll immediately begin looking at where to take the most immediate action.”
And, he added, “obviously a lot of people who are taking advantage of the government are going to be upset about that. I’ll probably need a lot of security.”
“Everyone,” he said, will be taking a “haircut.” On his social-media platform X, the former Twitter, the Tesla CEO went further and agreed with a supporter who predicted “an initial severe overreaction in the economy” and that “Markets will tumble.”
