President Donald Trump looked like he was hung out to dry by Elon Musk and ally Sean Hannity, with the two men ignoring him and speaking over him in the latest instalment of the Fox News host’s high-profile sit-down with the pair.
The trio bundled into the Roosevelt Room at the White House and almost immediately Hannity began to throw softball questions. The chat, which has been drip-fed to the public since Tuesday, quickly descended into a love-in. “I love the president,” Musk declared at one point. But in a new segment, released on Hannity Wednesday, a more eyebrow-raising theme became apparent, one where the president appeared to be sidelined by Musk.
The interesting arc began when the host asked the pair about the Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency and efforts to curb national debt. “It’s got to be solved, or there’s no medical care, there’s no Social Security, there’s no nothing. That’s got to be solved. It’s not optional. America will go bankrupt if this is not done. That’s why I’m here,” Musk dubiously warned, painting himself as the hero here to save America.
Trump attempted, again, to reenter the fray. “There could be nothing bigger. There’s nothing — ” he said, with Hannity once more interjecting.
The Fox host said: “You’re sending ships up to Mars—you know, spaceships up in the sky all the time.”
“That’s peanuts,” Trump muttered.
Without referencing Trump’s comment, Hannity went on: “And saving astronauts. That’s pretty big.”
“That’s peanuts compared to what we’re talking about,” Trump responded, this time with a few added decibels. This had the desired effect: some attention. Hannity then asked in response: “It’s peanuts?
“Yeah,” Trump responded, happy with his lot. Ending the stuttering to-and-fro, Hannity again went back to Musk. “Do you agree with that?” he asked.
Slightly more eloquently than the president, Musk responded: “America is the central pillar holding up Western civilization. That pillar must be strong. If that pillar falls, the whole roof comes crashing down.
