Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) was criticized after he advised on Sunday that Elon Musk is the nation’s unelected “prime minister” — and never in a foul approach.
“It’s type of fascinating,” Gonzales mentioned throughout an look on CBS Information’ “Face the Nation.” “We’ve a president, we have now a vp, we have now a speaker. It seems like as if Elon Musk is our prime minister.”
“I spoke with Elon a few occasions this week,” he continued, as host Margaret Brennan interrupted to notice that Musk is “unelected.”
“Effectively, unelected, however, I imply, he has a voice, and I believe plenty of, giant a part of that voice is a mirrored image of the voice of the individuals,” Gonzales added.
Musk on Wednesday successfully tanked a bipartisan spending deal by posting about it incessantly on his social media platform X. President-elect Donald Trump then chimed in to criticize the invoice as properly, sending GOP lawmakers scrambling to renegotiate and avert a authorities shutdown.
A pared-back spending invoice was handed late Friday and signed by President Joe Biden on Saturday. It didn’t embrace a debt restrict extension that Trump had demanded. Gonzales voted in opposition to the measure.
Musk’s efficient strain marketing campaign led Democrats and different critics to model him Trump’s “shadow president” or “co-president.” Trump on Sunday reacted to that declare, calling it a “hoax” and saying: “No, that’s not occurring.”
The SpaceX and Tesla CEO, who’s the richest particular person on this planet, donated greater than 1 / 4 of a billion {dollars} to assist elect Trump.
Final week, Rep. Becca Balint (D-Vt.) said she’d overheard some Republican colleagues privately “fuming” about Musk “inserting himself” into discussions about authorities spending. “He’s been elected to nothing,” she mentioned.
Critics took subject with Gonzales’ “prime minister” assertion and mentioned the right-wing billionaire doesn’t characterize them.
Gonzales’ workplace didn’t instantly return HuffPost’s request for remark.
See a few of the response to the congressman’s remarks under.
