The White House – Public domain – via Wikimedia Commons
Trump’s Orbit: Entry Fee? Your Soul
Everyone thinks they’re the exception. None of them are.
by Met Middleson
June 5, 2025
Elon Musk spent years casting himself as the exception to the rule. The man who couldn’t be bought, couldn’t be boxed in, and certainly couldn’t be used. But in Trump’s orbit, that is exactly what happened. The richest man on Earth poured hundreds of millions into Trump’s campaign, reshaped the federal workforce, and accepted the spotlight of state power. Now, less than five months into Trump’s second term, he is on the outside looking in, and saying everything he was not allowed to say before.
THE BUY-IN
By the end of 2024, Musk had committed nearly $300 million to Trump’s reelection efforts. That included super PACs, dark money groups, and direct technical support through AI and campaign targeting firms loosely tied to X. His donations were more than a show of loyalty. They signaled Musk’s alignment with industries that had come under scrutiny during Trump’s administration: Big Tech, electric vehicles, and artificial intelligence. Elon Musk had chosen a side.
Inside Trump’s circle, the effect was immediate. Musk was not just a donor. He was a power broker. He was handed the Department of Government Efficiency, a new agency built for him, and empowered to gut the federal bureaucracy with impunity. He slashed staffing across regulatory agencies. He floated plans to close the EPA. He ordered audits of entire departments. Trump praised Musk as “an incredible patriot” and “one of the greatest business leaders and innovators the world has ever produced,” emphasizing his leadership in what he called “the most sweeping and consequential government reform program in generations.”
THE WISCONSIN SUPREME COURT GAMBLE
Flush with influence, Musk tried to reshape the courts. In early 2025, he pumped millions into Wisconsin’s Supreme Court race, backing a hardline conservative candidate with a digital ground game powered by AI voter modeling. The bet failed spectacularly. The candidate lost by double digits, and Musk became the story. The New York Times dubbed it “the most expensive judicial defeat in state history.” Trump said nothing.
That silence was the beginning of the end.
Musk’s name disappeared from White House briefings. He was cut from official schedules. Allies said he had stepped back to focus on innovation, but the truth was simpler. He had stopped being useful.
THE GOLDEN KEY
When it was time to end the chapter, Trump didn’t fire Musk. He staged it.
In a White House ceremony held in the Oval Office, adorned with American flags and the presidential seal, President Trump presented Elon Musk with a golden key encased in a wooden box. The event, attended by MAGA donors and live-streamed across right-wing platforms, was framed as a gesture of gratitude for Musk’s leadership of the Department of Government Efficiency. President Trump praised Musk’s contributions, stating he had delivered “a colossal change in the old ways of doing business in Washington.”
Musk, sporting a visible bruise near his eye that he claimed came from a playful incident with his son, expressed admiration for the Oval Office’s gold-accented decor and reaffirmed his commitment to the principles of DOGE, describing it as “a way of life.”
But the message couldn’t have been clearer. The key was a prop. The praise was closure. Elon Musk was out.
He smiled. He posed for photos. He said nothing. Not yet.
THEN CAME THE BILL BASHING
The “One Big Beautiful Bill” is Trump’s marquee second-term legislation—a mix of tax reform, deregulation, and federal restructuring. Buried inside its 1,116 pages are quiet reversals of nearly everything Musk helped implement. Green energy tax credits are eliminated. AI transparency provisions have been removed. EV production grants and government contracts tied to sustainability have been slashed without explanation.
Musk is not taking it quietly. He claims the bill will explode the deficit, calling it fiscally reckless and politically self-serving. He also calls the bill a “disgusting abomination” and accuses the administration of sabotaging innovation and gutting the very efficiencies he was hired to deliver. “This is not policy,” he posts. “It’s theft disguised as reform.” He continues urging Congress to kill the bill and uses X to amplify critics from across the political spectrum.
TRUTH SOCIAL WILL GET THE LAST WORD
Trump, characteristically, does not hold back. But in response to Musk’s public criticism, he remains silent. There are no direct mentions, no reposts, no offhand remarks. Just a conspicuous absence where praise once flowed. Some observers note a recent post—”Some people get bitter when they’re not in the room”—and speculate it could be aimed at Musk. But officially, Trump says nothing.
In Trump’s world, betrayal is not measured by substance. It is measured by disloyalty. Musk crosses that line. And like so many before him, he is cast out in full view. Praise evaporates. The silence grows louder. Allies drift away. The richest man in the world, once introduced as Trump’s ultimate ally, becomes just another defector.
IT ALWAYS ENDS THE SAME WAY
Elon Musk thought he could rewrite the rules. He had money, influence, a social platform, and the ear of a president. But in Trump’s orbit, everyone plays the same role eventually. They are welcomed, praised, paraded, and then, when the shine fades or the usefulness ends, they are pushed aside..
Ask Mike Pence. Ask John Bolton. Ask Mark Esper. Ask Anthony Scaramucci. Ask Liz Cheney.
Each believed they were irreplaceable. Each walked away isolated and diminished.
Musk’s story feels different because it is still unfolding. He’s louder. Richer. More unpredictable. But the arc is familiar. And the outcome, unless something changes, is already being written in real time.
In the end, the orbit doesn’t bend toward loyalty. It bends toward utility. And when that runs out, even a man with $300 billion and a key to the government walks out the same way they all do.
Used up. Locked out. And finally, free to speak.