The supreme court ruled that he couldn't be prosecuted for crimes committed as part of the official duties of a president. There is no legal mechanism at this point to hold him accountable. The only political mechanism would be impeachment and censure which must be initiated and adjudicated in congress - but with Republican control of both chambers, and a lack of willingness to vote to uphold impeachment during his prior administration, and then following his actions on January 6th, it is inconcievable to think that he is at risk of that occurring at this time. The 2026 mid-term elections could result in some change in the makeup of congress. If a ton of democrats or anti-trump Republicans were to somehow win and form a large enough majority, then it would be possible.
Given how much control and influence he has had thus far, I would be shocked if he isn't trying to use every legal and illegal means to ensure that he will retain as much power as possible at that point. Voting districts have been realigned to benefit republicans at the expense of democrats (clumping small numbers of republicans across many districts and isolating large numbers of democrats into as few districts as possible - gerrymandering - in order to increase the power of rural voters over urban voters). There is a non-zero chance that Elon's involvement in the election included manipulation of voting machines that used his internet company to communicate with the internet ("Everything can be hacked" - Musk's statement just before election day). There were also a disporportionate number of bombthreats called in by russian troll farms to swing states, shutting down those voting centers and restricting access as well as leading to unattended voting machines which may have been compromised remotely or through things like USB drives, during the shutdown of those centers. At the very least, these threats may have scared away voters that may have voted against Trump.
So much of this shit goes into tinfoil hat territory that I just simply shrug and accept that there are powerful people playing powerful games that have real consequences for Americans, let alone everyone else in the world. His crypto memestocks that he pumps and dumps are siphoning money away from investors who buy-in, while also providing a method to bribe him that lacks regulatory oversight. His kids are creating a crypto empire in the background while all of this is happening, cementing his family's legacy as a member of the ruling class.
Still - I have faith that karma comes for those who generate wealth through the creation of suffering and chaos. Maybe? Maybe not?
You guys have great discussions.
