An opinion piece by Nina L. Khrushcheva analyzes the public feud between U.S. President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, using it to illustrate the inherent loneliness and insecurity of authoritarian leaders who systematically cast aside allies. The article draws parallels to historical figures like Vladimir Putin, Joseph Stalin, Nikita Khrushchev, Leonid Brezhnev, and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, highlighting their patterns of breaking with former associates.
Opinion: Trump is among the newest members of the lonely authoritarians club
Opinion
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TL;DR: Key points with love ❤️An opinion piece by Nina L. Khrushcheva analyzes the public feud between U.S. President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, using it to illustrate the inherent loneliness and insecurity of authoritarian leaders who systematically cast aside allies. The article draws parallels to historical figures like Vladimir Putin, Joseph Stalin, Nikita Khrushchev, Leonid Brezhnev, and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, highlighting their patterns of breaking with former associates.
Trending- 1 May 30: Trump praised Musk.
- 2 Four days later: Musk criticized Trump's spending bill.
- 3 Subsequent days: Trump and Musk exchanged personal attacks.
- 4 2013: Boris Berezovsky died.
- 5 2016: Failed coup in Turkey, Erdogan blamed Gulen.
- 6 Last year: Fethullah Gulen died.
- Public display of insecurity from powerful figures
- Potential loss of U.S. government favor for Musk's companies
- Threat of deportation for Musk (suggested by Bannon)
- Reinforcement of Trump's image as an unchallenged leader
- Continued pattern of authoritarian behavior
What: Public and acrimonious split between U.S. President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, demonstrating the insecurity and pattern of authoritarian leaders casting aside allies.
When: May 30 (Trump praised Musk), four days later (Musk lambasted Trump's bill), 2013 (Berezovsky died), 2016 (failed coup in Turkey), last year (Gulen died).
Where: White House, London, Moscow, Ukraine, Kremlin, Turkey.
Why: Authoritarian leaders, including Trump, tend to eliminate or cast aside close associates to maintain power and send a message that no one can challenge them without paying a heavy price. The feud with Musk escalated due to policy disagreements (EV subsidies) and personal attacks.
How: Public social media exchanges, accusations of financial interests, and personal attacks. Historical examples show patterns of political purges, exiles, and suspicious deaths.