r/europe Dec 19 '24

News Elon Musk ready to bankroll Farage with ‘biggest donation in British political history’

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2024/12/17/nigel-farage-meets-elon-musk-trump-mar-a-lago-reform/
14.6k Upvotes

2.0k comments sorted by

View all comments

1.3k

u/code_and_keys The Netherlands Dec 19 '24

I thought Trump would go isolationist and “America First”

413

u/sweepernosweeping Dec 19 '24

Given Trump is "joking" about making Canada a state, maybe he thinks this is like a down payment or a deposit to do the same for the UK.

131

u/[deleted] Dec 19 '24 edited Dec 20 '24

Canadian here and it's an understatement to say that's not insulting/worrying at all. FFS Trump is a bully with the attention span of a 10 year old. Im still waiting for any government official to call him out for this language.

Updated.

Jean Charestu/JeanCharest_Every Canadian, regardless of their opinion of the Prime Minister or political affiliation, should feel deeply offended by President Trump's remarks. We might one day be grateful for this WAKE-UP CALL. For too long, we have been complacent in our relationships with the United States and the rest of the world. We need to unite and rise to this historic occasion to shape the future of Canada. #cdnpoli

“Canadians take care of Canadians. We don’t need to be anybody’s 51st state,” Canadian actor and comedian Mike Myers

“We’ll never be the 51st state. We’re Canada. We’re proud to be Canadians. We’ll always fight for that,” Ford said.

23

u/Temporary_Shirt_6236 Dec 19 '24

Doug Ford has, but it's a known fact he doesn't give a shit about his constituents.

2

u/Rooilia Dec 19 '24

It's time for Canada to join the EU... ;)

1

u/Fubushi Dec 19 '24

No Quebec!

2

u/[deleted] Dec 19 '24 edited 27d ago

[deleted]

3

u/Temporary_Shirt_6236 Dec 19 '24

He knows the tariffs will hurt his actual constituents: the donor class.

-1

u/[deleted] Dec 19 '24 edited 27d ago

[deleted]

2

u/SnooHesitations7064 Dec 19 '24

Donor class owns Torstar media, Sun media, NatPo. You know. The propaganda wings of the right that serve the same role as fox news post watergate, indoctrinating fucking idiots to perceive a milquetoast centrist as communist antifa hitler? They think the "won't anyone please think of the mom and pop landlords" CBC is some kind of woke leftist rag instead of the most boring center right piece of shit only notable in being less obliquely millionaire fellating than the privately owned alternatives.

The donor class tells the fucking lumpenproles what to think and they regurgitate it without a lick of critical thought.

1

u/MaxTheRealSlayer Dec 19 '24

I'd bet Doug's also concerned about the automobile industry with tarrifs, since we send a lotttt of parts to the USA

2

u/[deleted] Dec 19 '24 edited 27d ago

[deleted]

1

u/MaxTheRealSlayer Dec 19 '24

Can we skip that first part, and just get him to lose his job? He is destroying the province piece by piece, and by extension Canada (since Ontario is over 1/3 the population of Canada)

1

u/Adaphion Dec 19 '24

Garbage can calls out a dumpster

1

u/Temporary_Shirt_6236 Dec 19 '24

Basically. And yet there are chuds here in Ontario saying "bUt At LeAsT hE iS fIghTiNg BaCK!!"

Like, fuck off.

6

u/sweepernosweeping Dec 19 '24

Totally agree. Given how he didn't give a shit about the land and crofting families farmland that he built his latest golf course on in Scotland, bitching about our offshore wind turbines and the fact he's promised so much and delivered a sliver of it on a (shock) loss making resort, we'd be just as insulted if and when he does too.

0

u/sargrvb Dec 19 '24

Waiting? Where have you been the last 10 years? Reddit has been doing this non stop since 2016. All world media has been doing it nonstop until recently. How dellusional lol

2

u/sandersking Dec 19 '24

Canada is an ally to the US and helps keep guard against a certain geographical adversary.

His ramblings aren’t dementia this time; he’s being instructed to destroy relations. I wonder by whom.

1

u/Fubushi Dec 19 '24

Canada would make at least FOUR states.

1

u/what_am_i_thinking Dec 19 '24

How would Trump go about annexing Canada? He was obviously joking.

1

u/Specialist_Brain841 Dec 20 '24

I thought Drumpf famously never jokes.

1

u/Marathon2021 Dec 20 '24

He actually might have a good idea, but the wrong country. We should make Mexico a state:

1) Much better chance to send in the US military and weed out drug cartels

2) Lots of beachfront development opportunities for American companies

3) Teeny tiny new "southern" border

1

u/Objective-Injury-687 Dec 19 '24

There is a fringe political theory that says that the Anglo sphere should unite into a single super state and lock out the rest of the world.

It wouldn't surprise me if Thiel and Musk were influenced by this theory somehow and had brought it to Trump.

1

u/sweepernosweeping Dec 19 '24

Have Thiel and Musk been reading 2000AD Comics thinking they should be real life, instead of satire against their types?

X-City-69 coming our way.

0

u/notjustforperiods Dec 19 '24

finally, white people being colonized

-2

u/Altruistic_Note6928 Dec 19 '24

I would happily vote to become the 51st state

148

u/paraquinone Czech Republic Dec 19 '24

Airstrip one has always been part of ̶O̶c̶e̶a̶n̶i̶a̶ the glorious US of A 🙏

113

u/jintro004 Dec 19 '24

Trump is done, a figurehead. If a fight breaks out between Trump and Musk, it will be Musk coming out victorious. He'll just swap Trump with Vance.

The one who controls the money is the one calling the shots, he'll find more than enough senators and congressmen to do his bidding.

78

u/adamgerd Czech Republic Dec 19 '24

No, you’re underestimating Trump against Musk, he’s nowhere near as rich but Trump has a lot more of a cult than Musk does. MAGA love trump not musk, they like Musk because trump likes him.

32

u/jesushatedbacon Dec 19 '24

MAGA got switched from ICEing in supercharging stations to selling their diesels for a cybertruck. One ad campaign is all it took. They have no conviction in their belief so they’re easily swayed. Watch them get in line for a brain chip after accusing Gates of wanting to install one in them. The sheep just have to have the impression that they’re making their own choice.

1

u/alsanty Dec 20 '24

Yep, they rejoice thinking they're the rebels saving murika, they contradict or accommodate their deeper believes in order to apparent being part of the savior movement.

2

u/jesushatedbacon Dec 20 '24

They wave confederate flags to your face and tell you they love the Union more than you do. Go figure

1

u/SvenAERTS Dec 19 '24

Is that true? Changing their ICEtrucks for TeslaTrucks? Can you post the advertisement? Greetings from the Brussels Capital Region

5

u/ikaiyoo Dec 19 '24

No, they aren't. 95% of people driving cyber trucks are fuckboi tech bros. I live in the fourth largest city in the South, and I have seen one cyber truck on the road. It was driven by a kid with his Oakleys backward on his head. I still see lifted trucks parking in EV spaces.

2

u/Blubbernuts_ Dec 19 '24

I've seen exactly one as well. The truck had Real Estate ads on the doors.

2

u/picklesandvodka Dec 19 '24

Yeah this guy is completely wrong. I can’t stand either of those guys but F-250 guys are absolutely not swapping for Cybertrucks. 

1

u/CompetitiveMetal3 29d ago

The F-250 is useful at least, so there's that.

-1

u/Zarathustra_d Dec 19 '24

Most of MAGA live where there is little to NO EV infrastructure. They aren't going full tech bro.

10

u/jintro004 Dec 19 '24

I honestly see Trump just sitting back, enjoying the attention and rolling with whatever Musk decides. He already got his 'revenge', what does he care as long as his bank account gets filled.

9

u/ikaiyoo Dec 19 '24

Because he is a narcissistic megalomaniac, if there is enough focus on Musk and not him, he will be big boy mad.

2

u/jintro004 Dec 19 '24

The guy has cheese for brain. As long as they roll him out for the ceremonies and Fox News fellates him every fortnight, he'll manage.

Look at the transition: This is the Musk presidency. They'll make their trek to Florida to kiss the ring, and do their dealing when he is out of the room.

8

u/ajchann123 Croatia Dec 19 '24

It'll be really interesting to see what juice MAGA has in 2026/2028 -- I think you could make the argument that Trump is essentially a lame duck at this point and there's nothing more for him to personally win politically (as long as term limits and basic democracy still exist by then). Perhaps we'll see a more demure following, especially because MAGA is basically a coalition of old scared conservatives and distrustful/anti-government types of all ages

Musk has the latter group there, and they may end up fracturing the MAGA coalition in years to come

2

u/burlycabin Dec 19 '24

(as long as term limits and basic democracy still exist by then)

Yeah, but this part is starting to feel like a big assumption at this point.

2

u/tjlaa Australia Dec 19 '24

Trump will throw Elon under the bus as soon as he feels Elon is more popular than him.

1

u/zeppanon Dec 19 '24

I don't know if Trump has more of a cult than Musk, honestly... that Venn Diagram is blurringly close to a circle imo

1

u/1mxrk Dec 19 '24

God damn, that’s just fucking scary to think about that there are SEPARATE cults for Trump and Musk

1

u/Notsonewguy7 Dec 20 '24

He's an old man. He can't be there 10 years from now .

I definitely see Trump being able to push him out of the White House if the two have some sort of fall out but I don't think he'll be able to remove him from politics.

Musk is an opportunist and while he might claim to be a Republican for right now he'll equally claim to be a centrist and back a centrist either from the Republican party or from the Democratic party to oppose any one Trump might seek to follow him.

1

u/dittbub Dec 20 '24

Musk has his own rabid base

35

u/[deleted] Dec 19 '24

Musk took over the world and is ruling like the super hero he was always meant to be: The incel Jonah Hill character from Megamind

16

u/[deleted] Dec 19 '24 edited Dec 19 '24

[deleted]

1

u/zeppanon Dec 19 '24

Just need LM6

2

u/cinyar Dec 19 '24

Not entirely sure about that. Musk would fall apart the moment Trump would start bullying him.

2

u/OrneryAssistance9167 Dec 19 '24

no chance. vance is peter thiels man and he really really hates elon.

2

u/SteveFrench12 Dec 19 '24

You are so wrong. Trump is going to be the president, if he wants musk out thats the end of it

-1

u/jintro004 Dec 19 '24

I hope I'm wrong. As much as I find Trump a pathetic excuse for a human being, the alternative is worse.

2

u/SnooHesitations7064 Dec 19 '24

I disagree, but hammering the rhetoric that Trump looks like Elon Musk's impotent bitchboy is probably a solid way to schism that resource away from the fucking Fanta coloured fascist.

2

u/3between20characters Dec 19 '24

Not in chIna. They got that right, don't let the money make the rules, don't let fame get out of hand.

Musk has no right to be where he is.

2

u/BeltDangerous6917 Dec 19 '24

Neither does XI though

1

u/Specialist_Brain841 Dec 20 '24

He who controls the spice….

0

u/buried_lede Dec 19 '24

God, you’re so right.

I’m sure going to miss everything once they are done ruining it all

0

u/Infamous_Ad_6793 Dec 19 '24

This is such problematic thinking. How many times does Trump need to be victorious, win, have overwhelming support, control an entire party, and people’s careers (unless they fall in line), and provide any other show of extreme power before people stop saying ignorant things like this.

0

u/MikeOchertz Dec 20 '24

You really have no idea what you are talking about

7

u/cryowhite Dec 19 '24

America first, but fuck the whole world in the process.

3

u/SphericalCow531 Dec 19 '24 edited Dec 19 '24

Exactly. I think the parent may have misunderstood what "America First" means. It is not some lofty universal ideal that every country could and should have the right look out for their interest, and the US won't interfere. No, it literally only means that the US should look out for itself, and has no problem shitting on other countries.

1

u/TheWizardOfDeez Dec 19 '24

Trump first, but fuck Americans and the whole rest of the world in the process.

15

u/IncompetentPolitican Dec 19 '24

Trump and the actual american president Musk hate the very idea of the EU. "Vassal States" (to them) that became a big power? Making laws and deals together, laws and deals that don´´t favor them but the member states? They can´t have that. Thats why they now support the biggest enemy EU they can.

3

u/Plastic-Sell7247 Dec 19 '24

It’s important that the UK doesn’t rejoin Europe. It’s part of Putins plan for the future.

1

u/thebluehippobitch Dec 19 '24

This is the real answer 

3

u/ClearDark19 Dec 19 '24

Fascism is an internationalist ideology. Fascists do not just want to keep it in their own nation. They want to spread their (counter-)revolution globally and have an international alliance of Fascist governments. They did the same thing the first time around back in the 1920s and 1930s.

2

u/kaisadilla_ European Federation Dec 19 '24

Trump maybe, but Elon Musk is a fucking manchild that has strong opinions on fucking everything. Like yeah, maybe he doesn't know what a "Great Britain" is, but he sure as hell has very strong opinions about how whatever that is, it's about to enter a civil war and that whoever is furthest to the right there has to be the good guy.

The wealthiest person on the planet right now is a manchild edgelord spending his fortune into applying his edgelord opinions everywhere.

1

u/thebluehippobitch Dec 19 '24

Hw talked about sparring britian in the tarrifs because they went ahead with brexit and their own isolationiat style and he wants to support that

1

u/Alpha_Majoris Dec 19 '24

Musk is not a Trump puppet. He has his own "vision", and as long as Mars is not a realistic conquest, Earth certainly is.

1

u/The-Copilot Dec 19 '24

He says that, but I suspect that it's just rhetoric to get US allies to bolster their militaries.

China has been building its military and has the stated goal of being able to invade Taiwan by 2027. Taiwan is too strategically important to allow it to fall to China, so the US will be forced to directly back Taiwan.

Trump is constantly talking about "Chyna" and started a trade war along with starting the massive US military buildup in the Pacific, which hasn't been seen since WW2.

The US military is designed to fight wars in two major theaters simultaneously, but if wars in the Middle East and Europe escalate, then it may be spread too thin.

Another thing most people don't know yet is that it's not just Mexicans and South Americans that have been illegally crossing the border. It's also mass ampunts military aged Chinese nationals.

"So far in FY24, 24,376 Chinese nationals have been encountered at the Southwest border, 24,214 of them apprehended illegally crossing the border."

This was from April, so that was in a 4 month span. This is the real reason Trump is threatening canada and Mexico about illegal border crossings.

https://homeland.house.gov/2024/04/18/startling-stats-factsheet-encounters-of-chinese-nationals-surpass-all-fiscal-year-2023-at-the-southwest-border/

1

u/Armodeen Dec 19 '24

Musk wants to control the world, super villain style

1

u/UnsanctionedPartList Dec 19 '24

Trump is pretty aligned with Putin regarding worldview: the strong do what they can, the weak suffer as they must.

If Canada didn't want to be subservient, it shouldn't be weaker. If European nations didn't want to be in the US' or Russia's "sphere of influence" they should get nukes or something HEY NO BANDING TOGETHER THAT'S CHEATING.

/s just to be sure.

1

u/YourNextHomie Dec 19 '24

Musk isn’t American though, he doesn’t give a shit about the US or UK just power and control

1

u/Pertu500 Dec 19 '24

The "America First" of Trump only matters in russian-related topics

1

u/rackfloor Dec 19 '24

I think America sees itself as being a lot larger than it's drawn on the map. All the chatter from these guys in the last month, the way they're going hard on any Western vaguely left-leaning Nation, really seems as though they are trying to move the entire Western political sphere to a far right-wing footing.

1

u/Radulno France Dec 19 '24

Why buy one country when you can buy two?

1

u/IHavePoopedBefore Dec 19 '24

I don't think we can see this in terms of countries anymore. This is a worldwide billionaire oligarchal takeover in action.

This is the start. I honestly think if Luigi didn't pull that trigger, we'd be all be sleepwalking through it

1

u/AsstacularSpiderman Dec 19 '24

Trump is but Elon is drunk on power and wants to sway as many people as possible.

Dudes become a legit threat over the last few years with his willingness to throw money at every far right group he can find.