Author: IceFrog
Preface
On the chessboard of power on both sides of the Atlantic, two names are redefining the rules: Trump and Musk.
Trump is the spokesperson for populism. He uses simple and direct slogans to incite his supporters, aiming to "make America great again" and trying to reshape the glory of the American dream. Musk, on the other hand, is completely different. He is the tech guru of Silicon Valley, who believes in the future, technology and the stars. He believes that traditional politics is just an outdated tool, and information and technology are the core of power.
The encounter between these two people is destined to be a collision of power and faith.
A country that wants to pull America back to the past and turn it into an isolated mountaintop nation;
One that attempts to establish a new global power system through information technology.
This conflict was foreshadowed in the Capitol Hill incident in 2021, continued to ferment in the following years, and may eventually push the United States towards an invisible "information coup."
Act I: The trigger for the Capitol Hill incident
On the morning of January 6, 2021, Washington was shrouded in a heavy gray fog, and there was unease in the cold air.
Thousands of Trump supporters gathered in front of the Capitol, wearing red MAGA hats, holding signs that read "election fraud" and "re-election," and shouting slogans. Their anger and resentment seemed to destroy the building in one fell swoop. The crowd's anger grew higher and higher, and even the police on the scene felt threatened.
Far away in Mar-a-Lago, Florida, Trump sat in his luxuriously decorated private dining room, watching the protest live on TV. He had a complex smile on his face, which seemed to be a kind of satisfaction, but also a hint of uneasiness. He took a big bite of McDonald's hamburger and said to the assistant beside him: "Look at these people, they love America, they know the truth."
However, his supporters were not satisfied with simple demonstrations. They began to break through the cordon and forcefully pushed down the metal fence. The sound of broken glass and the shouts of protesters intertwined and became the main theme of Washington that day. A few minutes later, groups of protesters broke into the Capitol, smashed windows, overturned tables and chairs, and even broke into the meeting room to take selfies of the "moment of victory" with their mobile phones.
All of this was broadcast across the world via live broadcast.
On the other side of the world, in a conference room at the Shanghai Gigafactory, Musk was sitting in the main seat. In front of him was a report on Tesla's production capacity, but his eyes were on the iPad screen handed to him by his assistant - CNN was broadcasting the Capitol Hill incident live. His brows were furrowed, and his eyes were filled with a complex expression that was almost admiring. He whispered, "This is not an ordinary protest, this is a force that can change history."
On this day, the riots on Capitol Hill became the focus of global media attention. For Trump, this was a counterattack after his defeat; for Musk, this was an open lesson on the power of populism.
Act 2: Trump’s fall from power and Musk’s ambitions
The aftermath of the Capitol Hill incident spread rapidly. The Democratic Party and the mainstream media joined forces to launch a comprehensive liquidation operation against Trump.
"Clearing Trump" has become the main theme of 2021:
Banning Account
Twitter, Facebook and other social media platforms have banned Trump's account, and he has lost the tool to communicate directly with his 80 million fans. This is the first time in his political life that he has been forced to "silence."
Criminal charges
Dozens of criminal lawsuits followed, and Trump had to run back and forth between the courts and the public eye.
Family betrayal
Even his daughter Ivanka said in public that "she was disappointed with the events on Capitol Hill." This statement isolated Trump.
Mainstream public opinion unanimously believes that Trump's political career is over. However, Musk, who is far away in Silicon Valley, has a different view. He told his friends at a private party: "They underestimated Trump, but they underestimated the group of people behind him even more."
In March 2021, Musk officially topped the Hurun Global Rich List and became the richest person in the world. His wealth accumulation reached its peak, and his ambition for power began to quietly sprout.
In public, Musk continues to play the role of a "white left" leader in the technology industry. He supports environmental protection, advocates a decentralized technology revolution, and even publicly criticizes Trump on Twitter as "the representative of the democratic crisis." But in private, his actions are completely different.
In April 2022, Musk proposed a plan that shocked the world: to acquire Twitter for $43 billion.
This is not only a business deal, but also a political gamble. He knows that social media is no longer just a tool for spreading information, but a weapon to influence public perception. By controlling Twitter, he can control public opinion and even change the course of history.
Although Twitter’s board of directors tried to block the acquisition through a poison pill, Musk remained unmoved. Six months later, he successfully completed the deal for $44 billion and renamed it “X.”
Act 3: Musk’s transformation and the Democratic Party’s dilemma
2022, a turning point year.
The outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian war forced the Biden administration to invest a lot of resources in the battlefield to aid Ukraine. However, the consequences of this war are rapidly fermenting in the United States: inflation rates soared, energy prices were high, and the cost of living for the lower classes increased sharply. The White House has repeatedly issued statements saying that "the US economy is recovering", but the fact is that the price of eggs in supermarkets has almost doubled, and gasoline prices have overwhelmed many middle-class families.
At the same time, the US-Mexico border problem is getting worse. The Biden administration terminated the border wall plan during the Trump administration, resulting in a large number of illegal immigrants pouring in, and the security problem in border towns has deteriorated sharply. Every day, news of shootings, robberies, and zero-dollar shopping fills the mainstream media in the United States.
Musk grasped all of this keenly and realized that this was the best time to redefine the power structure.
But this year, his private life also experienced a huge impact. His eldest son Xavier formally applied to the court for sex reassignment, became a woman, and publicly announced that he would sever ties with his father. This incident not only became a family crisis for Musk, but also made him realize the profound impact of "awakening culture" on society.
Musk publicly criticized the transgender movement and the "woke virus" on Twitter for the first time. His remarks quickly sparked controversy, but also won the support of some MAGA groups. He never publicly admitted that he was a supporter of Trump, but began to show himself in a "MAGA mask" to gradually win over this political force.
However, this is just a tactic, and Musk's goal goes far beyond the MAGA pattern. He clearly knows that his belief is not populism, but a technological dogma that transcends the country and ideology:
Social Darwinism;
techno-capitalism;
Egoistic superhumanism.
In Musk's blueprint, the United States is just his testing ground for power, and technology is his real tool of power.
Act 4: Musk and Trump’s rift
At the beginning of 2023, the atmosphere in Washington is tense and delicate.
Musk sat in his office at Twitter headquarters, with the screen in front of him showing MAGA supporters' messages of thanks for unblocking Trump's account. He smiled lightly and picked up a cup of coffee, but didn't drink it. He turned his eyes to the window, as if he was thinking about something.
At the same time, Trump held a secret meeting at Mar-a-Lago, where his advisory team made it clear that Musk’s intentions should not be underestimated, and his behavior was more like an attempt to control the entire MAGA movement rather than supporting Trump.
"Musk, who does he think he is? He will never understand what we believe in!" Trump said angrily, slamming the table. His advisers were silent. They knew that the former president's anger was accumulating, but no one dared to directly refute Musk's importance.
The key reason why the two gradually split was that they had completely different definitions of power:
Trump's MAGA movement is populist at its core, and he believes his power comes from the loyalty of his grassroots supporters.
Musk believes in the power of technology and capital. He sees Trump as just a pawn in the chess game of power, a temporary tool.
The disagreement gradually became public. In May 2023, Musk mentioned in an interview: "We should not be afraid of artificial intelligence. What we should really worry about is stupid leaders." Although he did not name anyone, the Trump camp quickly interpreted this sentence as a veiled irony against Trump.
Act 5: Prelude to the Information Coup
In 2024, preparations for the US election are in full swing.
Behind the MAGA movement, Musk's Silicon Valley technology group is accelerating its expansion. He has successfully acquired CNN and is integrating it into Twitter's operating system. He launched a new algorithm on the Twitter platform that can analyze user emotions in real time and push customized political content based on user interests.
The Trump team realized that Musk's Twitter was no longer a neutral platform. It was more like a weapon, a tool to shape public perception. A senior adviser to Trump said at the meeting: "If we can't control public opinion, it doesn't matter if we win votes."
At the same time, Musk's actions are becoming more bold.
He publicly announced that token rewards would be issued to every Twitter user who participated in the election to encourage "real and transparent voting."
The nonprofit organization he funded began to run a large number of advertisements in key swing states, promoting the idea that "technology changes the world", indirectly suggesting that Trump's "outdated" policies will hinder the future of the United States.
This information war is not only a power experiment, but also a global technological revolution. Musk is testing whether information control can directly influence election results. If successful, it will be one of the most subversive changes in modern political history.
Ending: The inevitable confrontation
In November 2024, the United States ushered in a new general election.
Trump stood on a stage in Florida and gave a speech to tens of thousands of supporters. His voice was hoarse, but his emotions were passionate: "This is not an ordinary election, this is a battle for the soul of America!" The crowd cheered and the MAGA flag fluttered in the air.
Meanwhile, Musk was in a high-tech conference room in Silicon Valley, California, watching data analysis results from CNN and Twitter. His team reported that the algorithm he launched was able to accurately predict voters' voting tendencies and could even change the flow of votes by 5% through content push.
Trump emphasizes tradition and faith, while Musk uses technological means to create a futuristic utopian vision. These two completely different power models will inevitably lead to conflict in the future.
So what will be the outcome of this confrontation in the future?
The final answer has yet to be revealed, but what is certain is that the impact of this power game will extend far beyond the United States, and even beyond the earth itself.
What is the power of the future? Who will control the destiny of mankind? This "information coup" will reveal the answer.