Donald Trump and Elon Musk are the US government's merchants of chaos, sowing disruption, discord and sometimes even disgust wherever they intrude – from taking the axe to the federal workforce to upending the Atlantic Alliance between America and Europe.
There's something to be said for their approach.
Previous conventional attempts to cut the 3 million-strong federal bureaucracy have yielded very little. When it’s pruned, like Topsy it just grows back again.
Even the great Ronald Reagan, a passionate believer in smaller government, struggled to make much headway.
Nor, almost 80 years after it was founded out of the ashes of World War Two, can the NATO alliance count on business as usual. America is rightly fed up doing all the heavy lifting for Europe's defense (especially now it has China to contend with too) and it's long overdue for Europe to do more – much more. Gentle nudging hasn't worked. Time for Uncle Sam to yield the big stick.
So, the Trump-Musk Axis, currently calling all the shots, has waded into federal government and European affairs with hobnailed boots, trodding hard on all before it, taking no prisoners in the process.
It's great fun to watch and there's a special delight in seeing who it upsets the most, from Washington's jumped-up jobsworths to Europe's self-important panjandrums.
If these folks are angry, then Trump and Musk must be doing something right.
Donald Trump and Elon Musk are the US government's merchants of chaos, sowing disruption,...
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