This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.
Not too long ago, this would be a career-ending display of corruption.
Yup.
In case anyone hasn't noticed, the goalposts for norms have significantly shifted in the last decade. This is historically how it always begins.
Buckle up. Protect yourself.
Yes, and if called out, they say it happens for freedom of speech, which is absurd given that the richest man on earth provides the infrastructure and has a large presence on the platform himself.
Hope everyone is ready for this to be at least the next 4 years of our lives.
I say at least because these losers ran on fundamentally changing how our government works. In 4 years they may be able to create a scenario in which it's literally impossible for them to lose an election. Not to mention the effect this will have on global politics.
We let the Stupids have total control of our federal government. Suffering will become the norm. And if you think we're suffering now? Well, might be time to pick up a history book.
But hey Gaza, imright, oh wait.
Can't wait to see what these fuckheads have in store for America, and the rest of the world. Plus, Canada is getting it's own version of Trump next year, so that's incredible too.
What wonderful times we live in.
This guy is the future vice president. Fuck you people of America.
More than likely future president. Trump served his purpose in getting his cult to take over America. He'll probably step down to play golf and have sex with minors.
It'll be the 25th amendment.
The fun part will be watching Trump and his maga cult fight it, cope with it, and eventually come to terms they have been grifted.
This is why people say Americans are morons, because they elect shitheads like this.
They can't even wait two fucking months before saying explicitly fascist shit like this.
So many people are in for a rude awakening, including many people on the left who have no concept of what is coming. This is what happens when you don't teach history, I guess.
Yup.
Everyone, left and right, are about to go through something very unpleasant together.
I never did have any hope for those on the right, but I hope those on the left that helped make this happen become fully aware of their mistake.
How fascist of him
The government using it's power in the service of corporations
This is why billionaires shouldn't exist.
The other thing I need to mention is that is that Elon Musk is far from the only billionaire with a massively disproportionate influence on elections and society. Or even the biggest. He is just the biggest attention whore of them all.
I imagine him and other billionaires in a group chat with him word vomiting every time he has an idea of how to further fuck the USA.
I for one would welcome the shuttering of US miltary bases in Europe and around the world. Bring it on.
Saves us money too, which could be used for social welfare systems lol none of this will happen.
could be used for social welfare systems
For needy billionaires, maybe.
You don't run a global empire by closing down strategic assets... There is zero indication US is going this way.
US gonna Empire the best we can do it provide some checks on this degeneracy so we don't end up in another Iraq or Afghanistan because some brain dead idiots trying to turn a buck on a tragedy.
France's military industry is having wet dreams thinking about it.
If the US pulls out of NATO France becomes the biggest arms exporter of NATO and I would expect other countries will become less enthusiastic at the idea of buying US weapons systems.
Doesnt Germany also produce a whole lot while their own army is rotting away?
Here is the share of global arms export per country.
Germany, Italy and the UK are also big exporters but still behind France.
Im actually surprised that FR is so much higher. Really unexpected.
It's not that surprising once you know that their goal is to be completely independent for their US for their military equipment.
It includes the nuclear bomb, missiles, fighter jet, aircraft carrier, submarines, even space capabilities (even if this last part has been lacking a bit lately).
They don't have the US military budget but they want the same level of technology without any ties to the US.
It means that they are exporting a lot to compensate for the high investments they are pouring into military technology.
Germany sells to KSA and the likes, now a lot is going to ukraine.
Their own equipment is unmaintained pile of trash due to US having 40k troops deployed there. Although maybe that is finally changing.
Let Russia take over your country or we will let Russia take over your country
I believe I speak for all of us Europeans when I say he can go fuck himself while sucking off Elon's micropenis.
The fucking Government of Putin wants to kill off the US defense industry. If the asswipes do this, they will cutoff the spare parts to keep the weapons maintained. Fuck that shit, it's time for the EU to purchase and use EU made weapon systems because the USA will become an unreliable partner. Furthermore, the US military can leave all their installations in Europe and rebuild them in fucking Russia for all I care.
JD Vance is crazy
Now is the time for Europe to rally behind Ukraine. We really should have upped military funding and arms production in preparation for this outcome.
Holding Western stability hostage in the name of the oligarchs, good job voting everyone...
No no no, you see, we showed the democrats by not showing up to vote! /s
uuugh... I made myself sick quoting those jackass fucktards. (I did vote, and screamed until I was blue in the face to get people to vote. About every year.)
Trump and Vance hold no actual power. Musk is now the shadow president of the USA.
I wish this were true... You should probably read some history about fascism/totalitarianism. Musk, and his corporations, are just another arm of the authoritarian government, to be used on the whim of our singular leader. Usually to mete out vengeance for perceived slights, and occasionally reward a crony for their loyalty (until they're no longer needed, of course).
This is how all corporations function under this system, otherwise they are eliminated.
Welcome back to the political spoils system.
I guess the next four years will be "interesting" and divisive. This world is going from bad to worse.
Oh that would go over well. Seems like they don't understand what NATO actually is
Well NATO works both ways, and we've seen recently what happens if russia decides to walk into a non-NATO country.
If russia walks into the USA then NATO (probably renamed to the European Defence something) will be sitting back going "hey, sucks to be you. Shame you're not in a mutual defence pact or something."
They might as well try and invade the moon.
Not even in office yet, and already making threats.
I’d like to see Europe tell Vance to fuck off. I suspect that if Europe gives in now, the Trump administration will make this same threat every time Europe does something he doesn’t like.
Trump will be an unreliable NATO ally anyway, so it isn’t much of a risk on Europe’s part.
These autocrats have always wanted to drop NATO.
Let’s not pretend like X is their reason. Supporting autocracy is their reason, and now they’re trying to come up with excuses to get the public onboard.
In his shoes, I would think twice - does their team really want to present their dirtiest laundry to the world - such as owing an election to a media oligarch?
As for the EU, it's a massive bureaucracy which still follows its own laws. It probably won't change track. There is no single person to change its track.
However, at this stage of the game, I have the nagging feeling that some American may downregulate Elon Musk directly, far before the EU manages to step on his precious toe.
