Political Wire

  • Front Page
  • Members
    • Subscribe
    • Sign In
  • Trending
  • Resources
    • Politics Extra
    • Political Job Hunt
    • Political Dictionary
    • Electoral Vote Map
  • Newsletter
  • Contact Us
You are here: Home / Members / Elon Musk Is Trump’s Enforcer

Elon Musk Is Trump’s Enforcer

January 21, 2025 at 2:51 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

President Trump may be a lame duck president, but he’s got more leverage than the typical president to keep lawmakers in line.

That leverage is Elon Musk.

Join now to continue reading.

Members get exclusive analysis, bonus features and no advertising. Learn more.

If you’re already a member, sign in to your account.
  • Bluesky
  • X
  • Threads
  • Facebook
  • Email

Filed Under: Members, White House


You're reading the free version of Political Wire

Upgrade to a paid membership to unlock full access. The process is quick and easy. You can even use Apple Pay.

  • ✔ Become a member to get many great benefits -- exclusive analysis, trending news, a private podcast, no ads and more!
  • ✔ If you're already a member, log in for the full experience.



Recent Posts

Jeff Bezos Capitulates to Trump

February 4, 2026 at 11:58 am EST

Glann Kessler: “Bezos is not trying to save The Washington Post. He’s trying to survive Donald Trump.” Save to Favorites

Setting the Trap for Trump Starts with the Clintons

February 4, 2026 at 11:45 am ESTFebruary 4, 2026 at 11:48 am EST

A handful of younger House Democrats stunned party leaders last month when they sided with Oversight Republicans to hold the Clintons in contempt. Veteran Democrats were livid. Join now to…

The Murder of The Washington Post

February 4, 2026 at 10:52 am EST

Ashley Parker: “Jeff Bezos, the billionaire owner of The Washington Post, and Will Lewis, the publisher he appointed at the end of 2023, are embarking on the latest step of…

700 Federal Agents to Leave Minnesota

February 4, 2026 at 10:50 am EST

“President Trump’s border czar Tom Homan said Wednesday that around 700 federal law enforcement personnel will leave Minnesota amid uproar over the aggressive immigration crackdown in the state,” The Hill…

New Generation of Democrats Aren’t Protecting Clinton

February 4, 2026 at 9:07 am EST

“Bill and Hillary Clinton are in House Republicans’ crosshairs — and the Democratic Party they once led isn’t coming to the rescue,” Politico reports. “A youthful vanguard of progressive office-holders…

Bad Bunny Isn’t Toning It Down

February 4, 2026 at 9:01 am EST

Wall Street Journal: “Bad Bunny has faced backlash from conservatives since being selected in September to headline the Super Bowl halftime show this Sunday. Some right-wing influencers zeroed in on…

Iran Plays Hardball to Throw U.S. Off Balance

February 4, 2026 at 8:58 am EST

“Iran’s abandonment of a planned meeting with U.S. and regional officials in Turkey in hopes of holding more narrowly defined talks in Oman is right out of the regime’s hardball…

Congress Targets Housing Crisis as Trump Flails

February 4, 2026 at 8:56 am EST

“President Trump has struggled to address the housing crisis. But Congress has been moving forward with legislation that, if signed into law, could bring the most significant changes to federal…

Trump Pollsters Finds MAGA Likes Solar Energy

February 4, 2026 at 8:52 am EST

“A majority of Trump-coalition voters back solar power, especially if the panels are made in the U.S. and without Chinese materials,” Axios reports. “Trump officials are moving against renewables on…

Profiles in Cowardice, Tariff Edition

February 4, 2026 at 8:49 am EST

Paul Krugman: “By any reasonable standard, most of Trump’s tariffs are plainly illegal. Two lower courts have ruled against them. The Trump administration appealed those decisions, and in early November…

White House Falsely Accuses Man of Sex Crimes

February 4, 2026 at 8:14 am EST

“The White House falsely labeled a man as having committed child sex crimes in one of several erroneous graphics posted Jan. 26 on its X account about immigrants detained in…

Russia Denies India Will Stop Buying Its Oil

February 4, 2026 at 7:45 am ESTFebruary 4, 2026 at 7:10 am EST

“A day after President Donald Trump said India agreed to halt purchases of Russian oil as part of a new U.S.-India trade deal, the Kremlin said it has heard nothing…

Republicans Make Costly Push to Try to Save Cornyn

February 4, 2026 at 7:12 am EST

New York Times: “Allies of Mr. Cornyn have spent about $50 million on advertising on his behalf since last July, an unheard-of sum to support a fourth-term incumbent running for…

Trump Calls on Americans to Move On from Epstein

February 4, 2026 at 7:05 am ESTFebruary 4, 2026 at 7:08 am EST

President Trump has made a fresh plea for Americans to move on from the Jeffrey Epstein scandal, The Guardian reports. Said Trump: “Nothing came out about me other than it…

Trump Ally Leaked Grand Jury Materials

February 4, 2026 at 7:01 am EST

“A Justice Department review found that Ed Martin improperly handled grand jury materials that were part of an investigation targeting Donald Trump’s political enemies,” CNN reports. “It was at least…

Trump Plays Kingmaker in GOP Primaries

February 4, 2026 at 7:00 am ESTFebruary 4, 2026 at 7:07 am EST

“President Trump appears to be ramping up his involvement in Republican primaries ahead of the midterm elections, playing the role of kingmaker in a bid to ensure the party has…

Washington Post to Announce Hundreds of Layoffs

February 4, 2026 at 6:25 am EST

Staffers at the Washington Post are preparing for a round of potentially hundreds of layoffs, Puck reports. Save to Favorites

Judge Skeptical of Pentagon’s Effort to Punish Mark Kelly

February 4, 2026 at 6:23 am EST

CBS News: “U.S. District Judge Richard Leon appeared concerned by the Justice Department’s arguments that the speech limitations customarily imposed on active-duty military officers… was being extended to include retired…

Trump Scolds CNN’s Kaitlan Collins for ‘Not Smiling’

February 4, 2026 at 6:10 am EST

“President Trump laced into the CNN correspondent Kaitlan Collins in the Oval Office on Tuesday, calling her ‘the worst reporter’ and scolding her for not smiling as she tried to…

How Stephen Miller Stokes Trump’s Impulses

February 4, 2026 at 6:06 am ESTFebruary 4, 2026 at 6:07 am EST

Wall Street Journal: “Miller was influential in Trump’s first term, but his power has expanded in the second one. He personally drafted or edited every executive order the president signed,…

« Trump Knows He Needs to Move Fast
GOP Holds Edge in Party Affiliation »

Your Account

Sign in

Members Only

  • Setting the Trap for Trump Starts with the Clintons
  • A Postal Rule Change Could Cost Thousands of Votes
  • Trump’s Redistricting Gamble Could Backfire Badly
  • The Electoral Map Is Quietly Shifting Against Democrats
  • Republicans Should Be Very Worried

About Political Wire

goddard-bw-snapshotTaegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.

Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.

Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.

Praise for Political Wire

“There are a lot of blogs and news sites claiming to understand politics, but only a few actually do. Political Wire is one of them.”

— Chuck Todd, host of “Meet the Press”

“Concise. Relevant. To the point. Political Wire is the first site I check when I’m looking for the latest political nugget. That pretty much says it all.”

— Stuart Rothenberg, editor of the Rothenberg Political Report

“Political Wire is one of only four or five sites that I check every day and sometimes several times a day, for the latest political news and developments.”

— Charlie Cook, editor of the Cook Political Report

“The big news, delicious tidbits, pearls of wisdom — nicely packaged, constantly updated… What political junkie could ask for more?”

— Larry Sabato, Center for Politics, University of Virginia

“Political Wire is a great, great site.”

— Joe Scarborough, host of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe”

“Taegan Goddard has a knack for digging out political gems that too often get passed over by the mainstream press, and for delivering the latest electoral developments in a sharp, no frills style that makes his Political Wire an addictive blog habit you don’t want to kick.”

— Arianna Huffington, founder of The Huffington Post

“Political Wire is one of the absolute must-read sites in the blogosphere.”

— Glenn Reynolds, founder of Instapundit

“I rely on Taegan Goddard’s Political Wire for straight, fair political news, he gets right to the point. It’s an eagerly anticipated part of my news reading.”

— Craig Newmark, founder of Craigslist.

Copyright © 2026 · Goddard Media LLC | Privacy Policy | Corrections Policy

Political Wire ® is a registered trademark of Goddard Media LLC