Summary
Republicans’ efforts to portray Elon Musk as a MAGA martyr are failing, as his victim narrative struggles to resonate with conservative audiences.
Musk’s controversial statements and perceived elitism, including his complaints of being targeted by Democrats, have alienated even right-wing supporters.
Protests and vandalism against Tesla have damaged the brand, and Musk’s ties to Trump have hurt the Trump’s approval ratings, especially on economic issues.
Attempts to rally sympathy for Musk, including his emotional Fox News appearance, have largely backfired.
What a misguided thinking, way to shoot on their own feet. By now, it should be clear that anything republicans perceive as weak, fragile, or reflective of their own insecurities triggers aversion.
trump managed to survive such perceptions because his mugshot projected a “cool” toughness or because narratives like “chosen by God” framed threats to his life as some divine bs. Musk on the other hand… getting his feelings hurts and being bullied by democrats does not create strong optics for republicans to rally behind, especially given their frequent ougabouga war cry of “dems/woke tears” or “go woke go broke”.
Keen to see where this leads as musk is clearly expending significant influence at a rapid pace.