In one of the messiest public break-ups ever, Elon and Trump continue to fire back at each other. However, one being a very rich racist and the other being a very rich racist and the president, Trump has a bit of a leg up on what he can lob back. Axios among others reported on the latest volley between the two. I don't actually think Trump will follow through on any of this, given his favorite thing after McDonalds is not doing things (relatable in that minor way, although it'd be Taco Bell for me).

First, he's said he's going to take a "good, hard look" at Elon's vast array of companies. This might be his most reasonable action in a hot minute since Elon directly threatened to decommission one of the spacecraft used by NASA. He can do this as NASA contracts SpaceX for most of its flights now, as outsourcing and privatization has been the name of the game for a minute now. This entirely foreseeable outcome shocked many commentators, and after I'm sure a lot of private pressure Elon backed down. He is a creature of whims (and substance abuse) so who knows if he walks back his walk back, time will tell.

Additionally, Trump claims he might sic DOGE on Elon, which I would call poetic if Trump's brain wasn't just a series of randomly misfiring neurons playing word association. What would the not-a-government agency government agency do to a series of private corporations? Who knows, the rules are made up anyways so anything could happen.

Finally reaching the title, when asked Trump said "we'll have to look it" in regard to deporting Elon. The man who helped stoke fear of immigrants draining billions in benefits finds himself under the immigrant magnifying glass. He forgot that despite his immense buying power, he was just "one of the good ones" and eventually he would come under scrutiny as well.

Fascist ideologies thrive on creating a threatening other. That other is whittled down through direct and indirect means of elimination, while also somehow growing as a threat. Take for example the cities near the border, which are supposedly lawless wastelands overrun by "illegals" but appear as relatively normal American cities with a bunch of jackboots now hovering around. The hypothetical threat is always much more significant than the actualized one. It aims to create an air of distrust surrounding anyone that is not well known, which reinforces the mandate in which the fascist operates under. Even if their actions are not strictly legal, they're doing it for a good cause if the threat is really so great.

So Elon finds himself at the barrel of the gun he once wielded (at least for the moment). Republicans likely don't want to burn bridges entirely with Musk even if he has fallen out of favor, so the time will pass, but it does illustrate something key: No one is safe from the fascists. If they do not like you, they will find reason to make your life hell, or kill you, depending on what stage we're at at the time.

Unless you are at the top, their paranoia will always creates specters, invisible enemies at the corner of their vision. Those enemies serve to turn their once allies against them, and the "safe group" will grow smaller once again. It has played out before in our very own Red Scare, or in how TERF women find themselves receiving accusations of being trans when they aren't fem enough. They love to eat their own, fascists, and it's one of the few good things about them. The other is that they too die, sooner or later.