The Enemy of My Enemy Is… Elon Musk?

There’s an old saying: “The enemy of my enemy is my friend.” I never thought I’d apply it to Elon Musk. But here we are.

Over the past 48 hours, Donald Trump and Elon Musk — two of the most powerful, erratic figures in modern politics and tech — have gone to war in public. Trump has trashed Musk as “ungrateful,” “disloyal,” and “a joke.” Musk, in turn, has accused Trump of betrayal, corruption, and madness.

It’s a feud of billionaires and bombast. But beneath the pettiness, something important is happening.

Someone from inside Trump’s own world is finally punching back.

And not just with vague disapproval. Musk is calling Trump out by name. That may sound like table stakes, but in today’s Republican Party, it’s nearly unheard of. Trump has tried to eradicate the GOP of people like me who worked in his orbit and then called out his misconduct. Which is why in recent years, the Party has functioned like a protection racket, where loyalty to one man outweighs loyalty to law, principle, or even reality.

If that monopoly on fear finally breaks — from the inside — it could open the floodgates. Not because Elon is a hero. I’ve said there were no heroes in the first Trump Administration, only survivors, and it’s true of the second term.

But it might take one of those survivors to re-light a resistance from within the Party ranks.

If someone as ego-driven, unpredictable, and MAGA-adjacent as Musk turns full force on Trump, it might force many within the party to look in the mirror, as well as senior figures in the Administration. AT A MINIMUM, it is likely to at least fracture the shield that’s protected Trump from accountability.

This could be the first real crack in the dam.

Yes, it’s messy. Yes, it’s self-serving. But don’t miss the strategic truth: an opponent inside the tent can do more damage than a thousand critics outside it. I would know. I once was one.

That’s not an endorsement of Elon. It’s a recognition of his newfound “leverage,” which is the tool Trump always tries to wield against his adversaries. But now it is being turned on him.

The enemy of my enemy isn’t always your friend. But in this case? I might take temporary alliancesover permanent silence.

Because if it weakens Trump’s ability to abuse power for personal gain — if it drags the truth into daylight — it just might be worth it.

— Miles