memeorandum: Gov. Sununu Claims Elon Musk is Too Rich to Have Conflict of Interest Between Business and Vast Influence Over Trump Administration (Kipp Jones/Mediaite)

1:35 PM ET, December 29, 2024

Top Items:

MAGA Is Already Eating Its Own. Pass the Popcorn — Dear Laura Loomer: You weren't in on the con. You were one of the marks. — Like many observers, I expected severe buyers' regret fairly early in the second Trump administration. After all, many Americans who voted for Trump …

Leigh Kimmins / The Daily Beast:

Trump Finally Takes Sides in The Civil War Tearing MAGA Apart — President-elect Donald Trump finally spoke out on the civil war driving a wedge between growing factions in the MAGA movement—and he's thrown his weight behind his new pal Elon Musk.With Trump's inauguration still more than 20 days away …

Discussion: Raw Story

Ken Bensinger / New York Times:

Trump Weighs In on H-1B Visas Supported by Elon Musk — He said in an interview that he had used the visas for skilled workers “many times.” But he has mainly used visas for unskilled workers like housekeepers. — President-elect Donald J. Trump appeared to weigh in on Saturday …

Discussion: The Hill, ABC News, No More Mister Nice Blog, NBC News, The Gateway Pundit, Los Angeles Times, Townhall, Breitbart, Reuters, @amuse, The Independent, Washington Examiner, Raw Story, The Post Millennial and New York Post, more at Techmeme »

Donica Phifer / Axios:

Trump hasn't permanently changed GOP, Sununu says … There's no Trump-lite. There's no Trump 2.0 coming up. I always say that Trump is who he is, and because he's built up himself in the American psyche for 40 years," Sununu said on CNN's “State of the Union.”

Discussion: The Hill and The Independent

Michelle L. Price / Associated Press:
Trump appears to side with Musk, tech allies in debate over foreign workers roiling his supporters

Financial Times:

German politicians attack Elon Musk article praising far-right AfD — Lawmakers from Social Democrats and Greens criticise media group Axel Springer over publication of opinion piece — German politicians have criticised media conglomerate Axel Springer for publishing an opinion article …

Discussion: CBS News and Reuters

Christopher F. Schuetze / New York Times:

Musk Doubles Down on Support for German Far-Right Party — The world's richest man, a key adviser to President-elect Donald J. Trump, ridicules critics over his backing of the German extremist party AfD, as Germany prepares for elections. — Elon Musk, the world's richest man and a close adviser …

Discussion: Business Insider, Rolling Stone, The Independent, Bloomberg, Civil Discourse …, Associated Press, The Gateway Pundit, Politico, Reuters, The Guardian and The Hill, more at Mediagazer »

John Hanna / Associated Press:

Kansas once required voters to prove citizenship. That didn't work out so well — Republicans made claims about illegal voting by noncitizens a centerpiece of their 2024 campaign messaging and plan to push legislation in the new Congress requiring voters to provide proof of U.S. citizenship.

Kipp Jones / Mediaite:

Gov. Sununu Claims Elon Musk is Too Rich to Have Conflict of Interest Between Business and Vast Influence Over Trump Administration — Republican New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu argued Sunday that Elon Musk is too wealthy to have a conflict of interest regarding his businesses and his influence …

Discussion: New York Post, The Independent, Raw Story and Breitbart

Russel L. Honoré / New York Times:

Elon Musk Is a National Security Risk — It is now fair to ask the question: Is Elon Musk a national security risk? — According to numerous interviews and remarks, Mr. Musk's Department of Government Efficiency co-leader, Vivek Ramaswamy, once appeared to believe he was.

Washington Post:

Trump team says Canada, Greenland, Panama comments are part of a broader plan — Not everyone is convinced.

Discussion: New York Daily News and The Hill

Gregory Svirnovskiy / Politico:

‘I could never do his job’: Former Speaker Newt Gingrich shows support for Mike Johnson — The House will gather Friday to pick a speaker. And with Republicans expected to have a slim majority, Johnson can only afford one defection. — Newt Gingrich, who led House Republicans through …

Discussion: The Hill

The Hill:

Democrats taunt Trump with ‘President Musk’ moniker — Democrats are taunting President-elect Trump with claims that billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk is calling the shots instead of the incoming president. — And with Musk set to play a major role in Trump's second term …

Rachel Scully / The Hill:

Lawler says Johnson should be House Speaker: He ‘inherited a disaster’ — Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) said Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) should be re-elected as House Speaker, noting the Louisiana Republican “inherited a disaster.” — During an appearance on ABC's “This Week,” …

Discussion: Axios, Bloomberg, ABC News and Raw Story

Ewa Krukowska / Bloomberg:

Poland Ready to Help Ukraine If Slovakia Cuts Off Power in Gas Spat — The clock is ticking on the flow of Russian gas to Europe — Slovakia continues to receive Russian oil via Ukraine — Poland is prepared to step up electricity exports to Ukraine if Slovakia's Prime Minister …