Why Letting Elon Musk Into the Democratic Party Is a Massive Mistake

Musk has passed through the veil. He doesn’t get to flip sides like a typical opportunistic billionaire anymore. The way he’s operated is beyond the pale. And let’s be real: if Democrats welcomed him

Donald Trump and Elon Musk have officially broken up. I think the moment you start talking about your ex palling around with creeps like Jeffrey Epstein, it’s pretty hard to come back from that:

Musk is ultimately upset about two things. He claims it’s about the Republican budget not codifying his DOGE tax cuts and adding an insane amount of money to the deficit. But let’s be honest—it’s more likely because he’s not getting what he wants: EV credits for Tesla, more power and access in the federal government to keep raiding the public coffers, and a falling out with Donald Trump, who got tired of having the most insufferable person on the planet steal his spotlight.

Trump has responded to Musk’s attacks by claiming he’s going to cancel SpaceX and Tesla’s government contracts. Musk then retaliated by calling for Trump to be impeached and replaced with J.D. Vance. The entire thing is an absolute disaster for the Republican Party—and really for the country.

Now we’ve got Democrats like Congressman Ro Khanna suggesting we should embrace Elon Musk. And sure, you might think I’d be interested in that, especially since I wrote a piece earlier this week about the importance of reaching disaffected Trump voters to build a coalition that can move us forward.

But there’s a massive difference between someone who’s genuinely trying to figure out which party will help them feed their family or retire with dignity, and a corrupt billionaire who dropped $300 million to elect Trump and the Republican Congress—all to buy influence, expand his government contracts, and clear out officials who stand in his way (see: firing the head of the FAA).

This isn’t some redemption arc. A ketamine-fueled Twitter meltdown is not a moral awakening.

And more importantly, Elon Musk has done real, lasting damage. He’s spread lies that have weakened this country and eroded public trust in its institutions. He’s destroyed lives through reckless DOGE cuts. He’s exposed our private data to God knows who. He is not an ally, and I’d be deeply uncomfortable with him coming anywhere near the Democratic tent.

Musk has passed through the veil. He doesn’t get to flip sides like a typical opportunistic billionaire anymore. The way he’s operated is beyond the pale. And let’s be real: if Democrats welcomed him back, he’d turn on us the moment he didn’t get what he wanted.

One of the most common and justified complaints from the American people is the entrenched corruption in Washington—the same corruption that existed before Trump, and that he then supercharged. People see a rigged system where nothing gets done, no one is held accountable—and now we’re just going to let the richest man on Earth, who has done untold damage and stolen from the public, casually switch sides?

It’s the same problem I wrote about on Thursday: politics as performance. Politics as WWE. Do the most vile, destructive thing imaginable—and then walk out on the next show as the “good guy.” Just like that.

That’s not how a healthy political system should work. And it’s definitely not the kind of Democratic Party I want anything to do with.

I want a Democratic Party that stands up to bullies. That stands up to corruption. That pushes back on billionaires trying to rob taxpayers blind and grind down working people just to pad their profits.

The wealth gap in this country is obscene. Billionaire hoarding is out of control. I want a Democratic Party that actually fights for working people. And any party willing to look past Musk’s behavior, let him off the hook, and welcome him back in? That’s not a party for regular folks. That’s a party doomed to repeat the same mistakes—the same kind of party that failed to hold Wall Street accountable after the 2008 crash and left tens of millions to pick up the pieces.

That kind of failure shatters public trust. It sends the message that we’re no different than the Republicans.

Yes, we should keep talking to people who voted for Trump. We should show them respect and empathy, even when we’re frustrated by their choices. I stand by what I wrote earlier this week.

But Elon Musk is not that person.

He’s not someone navigating a tough economic moment or trying to figure out where this country should go. He’s someone who wants unfettered access to power, government contracts, and the freedom to act without consequence.

That’s not someone we should be embracing into the Democratic Party. It’s not just misguided—it’s dangerous and really bad politics.