OK, so the Donald Trump–Elon Musk feud just about IS Hollywood.
Should you needed to pitch a script concerning the world’s strongest man squaring off towards the world’s richest man in an all-out struggle over the course of the planet, you’d get a greenlight on the spot (or get laughed out of the room for implausibility). The popcorn-bucket quotient is unparalleled.
However such a feud additionally has a consequence for Hollywood. A couple of, in reality. How does the knockdown-dragout brawl impression firms, executives and creators within the city, you ask? Listed below are 5 potential methods.
1. Align MAGA Towards YouTube and Different Leisure-related Tech Corporations
Since he was elected seven months in the past, Trump has been largely pleasant to the Silicon Valley firms in command of (amongst different issues) our content material and leisure, pulling many Republicans with him (or not less than cowing them into silence). However that’s been beginning to change with the growing volubility of Missouri senator Josh Hawley and a number of other others, who’ve begun to ask accountability-type questions on YouTube and its AI coaching and social platforms and their content policies. Now, the pattern may get Trump behind it too because the friendliest Massive Tech voice in his ear is gone. In actual fact, he may have a brand new vendetta-ish incentive to go after Massive Tech, in search of to carry to heel firms like Amazon and Netflix together with universities, regulation corporations, legacy media and others he’s pursued.
2. Lower Down FCC Chair Brendan Carr
One of many greatest thorns within the aspect of community information and different content material giants is Carr, who has sought to name to the principal’s workplace Comcast, Disney and different media firms — and maintain up the Paramount-Skydance merger whereas he’s at it. Carr is definitely a serious Musk ally — he has visited his Texas SpaceX headquarters, taken selfies with the mogul and gone to bat for him, as he did when slamming FCC colleagues a number of years in the past for not granting Musk’s Starlink huge sums in rural broadband subsidy fees. Carr will little question attempt to thread the Muskian needle now that his boss (effectively, technically his boss is Congress) has fallen out along with his huge ally. However which may be not a straightforward eye to get that yarn via, and Carr might discover himself slightly nearer to the margins with out his buddy and rabbi. Bob Iger and Shari Redstone would possibly exhale — for a number of seconds.
3. Give Hollywood Liberals a New Ally (Possibly)
Alright this one looks like a stretch, even when loads of political shops are comfortable to indulge it. “Democrats eye a villain-to-ally arc for Elon Musk”: Politico; “Democratic congressman steps up his work to drag Musk towards his get together for the midterms”: Semafor.)
Loads of Dems nonetheless hate Musk; the enemy-of-your-enemy logic solely goes to date. Loads of Dems really feel the best way Tim “How great is it that that dipshit Elon Musk is out?” Walz does, even when just some will say it.
However Congressman Ro Khanna, the Northern California progressive in whose district a Tesla meeting plant sits, needs Musk to get California-ized. “We must always in the end be making an attempt to persuade him that the Democratic Social gathering has extra of the values that he agrees with,” Khanna informed Semafor. “A dedication to science funding, a dedication to wash expertise, a dedication to seeing worldwide college students like him.”
Nothing that Musk has executed up to now 12 months suggests that is remotely possible — and let’s not neglect he wants a number of contracts Trump’s businesses present. Plus if something, come midterms he’s going to be making an attempt to knock down Trump candidates from the precise.
However the man who within the fall alleged that the leisure enterprise was conspiring to enable Diddy now mingling with Jeffrey Katzenberg, Ellen Goldsmith-Vein and others in Hollywood’s fundraising machine could be a juicily ironic specter certainly.
4. Let Leisure Individuals Maintain Their Teslas
Hollywood loves vehicles and revenge tales, so it is sensible the Tesla Takedown motion has been rooted right here. Alex Winter of Invoice and Ted’s Wonderful Journey type of kicked the whole thing off, and entertainers like Sheryl Crow, Jason Bateman and others have ditched their slick EVs in his wake. Whereas Musk will hardly appear to be man to Hollywood liberals, his withdrawal from the federal government, the defanging of DOGE and newfound rivalry with Trump might make holding on to that Mannequin X Plaid slightly simpler. Ari may drive his Cybertruck with head held excessive.
5. Push Trump to Sluggish Down Content material-Gobbling AI Corporations
This one is difficult. Trump has an enormous AI verdict of kinds coming in July when he’s anticipated to announce his regulation plans. To date he’s proven little urge for food for such guardrails. In actual fact, the present Massive Stunning spending invoice (additionally on the heart of the Musk combat) has a serious provision stopping states from regulating AI for ten years — an enormous sop to Sam Altman, Google and the remainder of the Silicon Valley AI foyer. However there are already indicators it may very well be slowed down, with Marjorie Taylor Greene, of all folks, main the cost within the identify of states’ rights. The Senate has simply watered down the provision, altering it from an outright ban on states to manage to an elimination of broadband subsidies in the event that they do.
Might Trump flex his muscle to roll it again additional and permit regulation now that he’s in a blood feud with Musk, overseer of AI mannequin Grok? It’s potential. But in addition price noting is that Musk is in a separate blood feud with Altman, who needs just about no regulation in any respect. So by that enemy-of-your-enemy logic the Musk combat may draw Trump nearer to Altman and much more against AI regulation, letting the fashions run wild in music and movie. Like all issues Musk-Trump, the strikes are each giving us leisure and touchdown on Hollywood.