Summary

Laura Loomer criticized Elon Musk as a “welfare queen,” accusing him of profiting from billions in government subsidies while advocating for H-1B visas, which she claims take jobs from Americans.

Loomer’s remarks highlight a rift within MAGA supporters over Musk’s influence and Trump’s alignment with him despite prior anti-immigration promises.

Steve Bannon escalated the attack, demanding “reparations” for jobs lost to foreign workers hired by tech giants like Musk.

Musk, whose companies received over $25 billion in subsidies and contracts, defended his stance on immigration and insulted American workers.

  • Hideakikarate
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    5 days ago

    With as much as it’s happening and as little that comes of it, you ever think all these “in-fights” are just a big distraction or straight-up entertainment that the Republicans put on? Scripted, fake, like Professional Wrestling. The equivalent of turning on cartoons while the parents are “busy”.

    • circuitfarmer@lemmy.sdf.org
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      5 days ago

      This has crossed my mind as well.

      For the moment, I feel like this is real infighting. There must be push/pulls among MAGA. H-1B, for example, is one area where I could see real infighting. You have the rich MAGA (which ultimately runs the whole thing), but you’ve also got the poor MAGA which has been bred on a fuckton of anti-immigrant sentiment.

      What might be interesting is (assuming it is indeed real infighting) if the focus on rich vs poor is brought more into the forefront due to this. That certainly isn’t something the MAGA leadership wants.

      But holding one’s breath for more/better info is smart, for now.

      • Whats_your_reasoning@lemmy.world
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        5 days ago

        What might be interesting is (assuming it is indeed real infighting) if the focus on rich vs poor is brought more into the forefront due to this. That certainly isn’t something the MAGA leadership wants.

        Which is why in the end, regardless of the motivations behind these stories, we must continue to use these opportunities to point out the underlying class war that unites us. No matter the superficial drama that creates the attention, keep redirecting the focus back to that fact. Major media outlets will do what they can to avoid conveying this message, so it’s on us to make it a normal conversation that can’t be ignored.

      • rayyy@lemmy.world
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        5 days ago

        You can bet the corporate funded focus groups are burning the midnight oil plotting out how to spin the “poorly educated” MAGA folks perceptions around.

    • eran_morad@lemmy.world
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      5 days ago

      They’re far too dumb to orchestrate this kind of theatre. What we are witnessing here is their… shall we say, natural talent.

    • DrDickHandler@lemmy.world
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      5 days ago

      No. They have no whatsoever effect. Most Trump voters have no idea this is going on as they’ve already tuned out. Casuals don’t follow politics.

    • pelespirit
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      5 days ago

      This is exactly what is going on. If you read a headline that’s an opinion, or has may, could, slammed or hit in the title, ignore it. It’s a distraction. Trump finding the shittiest most obnoxious sounding people to lead his cabinet is also part of that strategy. He usually fires them anyway. What his former POS staff has done or said are also distractions.

      I was told an old saying when I was very young that I didn’t truly understand until trump came along. I was sad because someone was saying bad things.:

      At least they’re talking about you. If they’re talking about you, you’re winning.

    • WindyRebel@lemmy.world
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      5 days ago

      Of course it is. Trump is a big WWE fan. So much that he put lady McWWE in for a new position.

    • FuglyDuck@lemmy.world
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      5 days ago

      Might be a distraction.

      Might not be.

      Either way, as long as they’re infighting, they’re not actually governing. even if it is just “infighting” and not actual infighting.

      So let them fight.

    • InternetCitizen2@lemmy.world
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      5 days ago

      The theatrics might be a bit too big of a conspiracy. I think its real. Two party system means big tent politics, most of which will be at odds.

    • givesomefucks@lemmy.world
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      5 days ago

      I can’t remember the name of it off the top of my head, but there’s a special term for conspiratorial thinking based on the belief that leaders really can’t be this incompetent and that the thought of a shadowy organization pulling the strings actually makes some people feel better.

      Because reality is way fucking scarier.

      These are the people running our country and they’re almost exclusively all idiots.

    • shalafi@lemmy.world
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      5 days ago

      Nah. Authoritarians always pull this shit until the cream rises to the top. Fortunately, Trump is the top. Imagine having to kow-tow to that moron and get anything done!

    • TheFonz@lemmy.world
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      4 days ago

      It’s real. Just because tech bros and magats align sometimes there is still a discrepancy between the two. At the end of the day, the Maga tech bros are just higher up the ladder from the general Maga folks. In other words: there’s always bigger fish.

  • iAvicenna@lemmy.world
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    5 days ago

    “I don’t think that it’s acceptable for billionaires to have this much power and this much access,” she emphasized.”

    You mean like what Trump was previously and desperately wants to be again?

  • Grandwolf319
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    4 days ago

    Kind of a couple months too late to suddenly realize the person you gave the keys to the kingdom to is not on your side.

    It almost feels like theatre, as if they knew he is not on their side but they kept their mouth shut cause winning was more important.

    Edit:

    “I don’t think that it’s acceptable for billionaires to have this much power and this much access,” she emphasized.

    Yep, it’s theatre, cause nothing is stopping them from limiting billionaires through wealth cap or tax.

    • Lasherz12@lemmy.world
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      3 days ago

      She says as she wipes her lips, leaving Trump’s plane. Does she dispute Trump’s billionaire status now?

      • jrs100000@lemmy.world
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        5 days ago

        For real. They already started calling for Ramaswamy to be deported, despite being a natural born citizen, but they wont touch the actual immigrant who possibly committed immigration fraud. I think just the idea that white people could possibly be illegal immigrants stirs up too many uncomfortable assumptions for them.

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    5 days ago

    The most infuriating part of this is that when they do bring cheaper labor they always pocket the difference. It just makes the rich richer and the poor poorer. All while the middle class shrinks.

  • sunbrrnslapper@lemmy.world
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    5 days ago

    I was worried that the GOP might have their shit together enough to inflict damaging policies on the country, but this is easing some of those fears. What a bunch of f*ck-ups.

    • xmunk
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      5 days ago

      Don’t get too comfortable. A few project2025 true believers in bureaucratic positions could make life a living hell while these shits play reality tv in the whitehouse.

      • winterayars
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        5 days ago

        Yeah, Bush did jack shit while his minions ruined everything. The show may be better this time but that doesn’t mean it won’t be destructive. Still, we can hope.

      • frezik@midwest.social
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        4 days ago

        That’s what I keep saying. They won’t be able to implement half of that wing nut fan fic, but they’ll do plenty of damage in the attempt.

    • DrDickHandler@lemmy.world
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      5 days ago

      This has no impact whatsoever. You don’t need to worry because we know for a fact that they intend to pillage the government to enrich themselves.

  • WilderSeek@lemmy.world
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    4 days ago

    Oh, this is theater again. The smarter MAGA creeps are doing this to distract the public and government (the parts that can actually do something) from Musk’s influence. They totally want his money and interventions. It’s actually encouraging other tech corporations to give them money as Musk is so dangerous in the field (he’s trying to wipe out OpenAI and has hopes to gain assloads of power with his own AI).

  • SGG@lemmy.world
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    5 days ago

    With First Lady Trump making the decision for President Musk, it’ll be whoever talks to Trump last. Given Musk effectively moved into Trump’s bedroom, my money is on Musk getting his way after giving Donald a quick rusty trombone.

    • ThePowerOfGeek@lemmy.world
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      5 days ago

      There’s a great odd couple comedy sitcom there for the taking. Trump and Musk bring roommates in the Oval Office.

  • snekerpimp@lemmy.world
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    5 days ago

    Does it matter who is mad, or who doesn’t approve of what President musk and secretary trump are doing? They have the power, and they will do whatever they damn well please. No amount of “infighting” will slow them down. It will take a massive exertion of force and pressure from the outside, from the masses, to make them stop.

    • TachyonTele@lemm.ee
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      5 days ago

      It does matter who’s fighting who. All the time they put into arguing with each other is time they don’t spend agreeing and making bullshit policy.

    • Chip_Rat@lemmy.world
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      4 days ago

      It matters because they have been programmed to listen to those people, and ignore the rest. It’s an echo chamber in there and so when someone inside that chamber goes off it gives all the idiots inside a big dose of reality. Will it stick? Will it last long? Doubt it. But for a brief and wonderful moment, some of those fools are forced to use their brains, even for just an instant.

  • Bizzle@lemmy.world
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    4 days ago

    “I don’t think that it’s acceptable for billionaires to have this much power and this much access,” (Loomer) emphasized.