Marionette Cutting His Own Strings
Zoom today — Noon PST / 3PM ET
Donald Trump’s behavior is becoming more and more self-destructive, in addition to the havoc, death and suffering he’s wreaking on America. He appears to be trying to separate himself and his MAGA cult from the people who brought him to the dance—and from reality itself.
Last night he posted this, a QAnon account that claims Joe Biden was executed in 2020 and replaced by a “clone,” which is part of the UFO “Galactic Federation” mythology.
This is not just stupid and embarrassing, it is wildly dangerous. When the president validates this kind of dehumanizing absurdity, it lays the groundwork for real-world atrocities. And this wasn’t the only QAnon account he posted yesterday.
At the same time, the bizarre drama in the regime between Elon Musk and Trump’s White House appears to be more than just theater. Trump also posted this on his Truth Social account last night.
Jared Isaacman was Elon Musk’s handpicked nominee to push his Mars colony hoax at NASA. Isaacman’s “prior associations” are mainly just being close to the richest man in the world.
During his April 2025 confirmation hearing, Isaacman emphasized his outsider status and entrepreneurial background, stating his intent to usher in a "new Golden Age of Science and Discovery" at the agency. He faced questions over his close ties to Elon Musk, the founder of SpaceX, one of NASA's largest contractors
This appears to be (another) punch directed at Musk’s face. Musk, for his part, said this today:
And it's not like I agree with everything the administration does. So it's like, I mean I agree with much of what the administration does, but we have differences of opinion. There's things that I don't entirely agree with. But it's difficult for me to bring that up in an interview because then it creates a bone of contention. And I'm a little stuck in a bind where I'm like, well, I don't want to speak up against the administration, but I don't want to take responsibility for everything the administration is doing.
[h/t Aaron Rupar]
Mars, of course, as clearly seen on his t-shirt, is Elon Musk’s obsession. Taking away his crony at NASA, while Musk whines about Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” is a sign that there really is a “difference of opinion” here.
To be clear, Musk still has deeply embedded assets in the administration, including Russ Vought and all of his DOGE minions, but Trump seems to be trying to isolate himself from not just Musk, but from the religious right that helped propel him to power. Incredibly, Trump says Opus Dei member and Knight of Malta Leonard Leo, who installed 6 of 9 Justices on SCOTUS, is a “sleazebag” and “a bad person.” Trump says he’s “so disappointed in the Federalist Society” which also put in people like Aileen Cannon, who made it possible for him to be elected again.
Another ally that Trump seems to truly be trying to distance himself from, in a bizarre submissive way, is Vladimir Putin, who is returning the favor by mocking him through the performative “peace process.” Putin, of course, has been helping Trump for a decade.
The image I get from all this is of a marionette, totally incapable of doing or saying anything on his own, intentionally cutting his own strings while thinking to himself “I’m a real boy now!” Well, Donald Trump is not a real boy, and this is not a real administration. In some ways, the one silver lining is that Trump may be too far gone in his messianic delusions to understand the limits of his own personal power, especially if he alienates all his allies.
Zoom today at Noon PT / 3PM ET to discuss the week, and anything else that’s on your mind. If you haven’t upgraded to a paid subscription please consider it. We have a great group of smart, strategic folks who have no intention of allowing this broken puppet to break the rest of us. Details below. Hope to see you!