Elon Musk came to Washington on a mission to shrink the federal workforce. This he did with a juvenile ferocity, using as the emblem of his rage — a chainsaw which was gifted to him by the President of Argentina Javier Milei. He did so without a sense of empathy or compassion for the many who would lose their jobs, many of whom perhaps lived from pay cheque to pay cheque. There was no carefully worked out strategy to transform the workings of the already top-heavy bureaucracy of the United States Government. But he, and his equally juvenile cohorts, set about their work as they had the full backing of the President of the United States Donald Trump.

But, as is often the case, when you drive a vehicle too fast the tendency is that you will run out of gas as you hardly pay attention to the gas gauge. So, the Musk clown car has now run out of gas and sputtered to a standstill. The 130-day privilege given to Musk as a special employee of the Federal Government, has now expired and Trump has decided not to renew it.

This, of course, has thrown Musk into a tizzy and the relationship between both men has been shredded. Both have engaged in a war on their respective media platforms, which, substantially, have painted a good picture of the peril that America faces as it deals with shambolic governance.

It should have been clear to even the cursory observer that it would not have been long before these two outsized egos, larger than the Mississippi River, would collide. The break-up might have happened much earlier than some thought, but it ought to have been clear, as we say in Jamaica, two bulls cannot reign in one pen.

Since the colossal break-up, Musk has turned his attention to Trump’s “big, beautiful Bill” now making its way through the Congress. In an epiphanic moment, he has suddenly realised that the bill is a “disgusting abomination”, as he wrote on X. I find concurrence with this description, but cannot help seeing the hypocrisy in it. Musk certainly did not consider it a disgusting abomination when many people in the Federal Government lost their jobs, many literally overnight, for no discernible fault of their own. Did he consider the pain that he was causing families who suddenly could not take care of their families, and whose plan for the future were wrecked by his disgusting chainsaw?

Was it a disgusting abomination, when he and his young cohorts shut down the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), ending life-saving initiatives that have been helping many people around the world. Even if he had no concern for the value of American soft power he might have spared some thought for the many poor and sick children who would die without this help.

And, all of this coming from the richest man in the world. His actions through Elon, What Goes Around, Does Come Around were not only disgusting and abominable, but filled with animus — some would say hatred, for so many he did not even know. He has upended the lives of people at critical junctures in their families’ lives and have caused wreckage to the careers of law-abiding citizens who only want to serve their country.

Musk said in his X post that those who voted for Trump’s Bill ought to be ashamed of themselves. “You know you did wrong. You know it.” he vented. While I sympathise with his sentiments here, he cannot escape judgement what he did at the Department Of Government Efficiency (DOGE). For surely he ought to be ashamed for the lives that he might have wrecked. And, yes, Elon, you know it.

Obviously, behind his indignation against the Bill lies his disappointment that his “hard work” at DOGE has not really worked out to his benefit. He has left Washington a disappointed man in more ways than one. Trump’s Bill seems to have angered him the most. If the Bill passes, his companies — and him personally — will feel a lot of pain. He may not face the existential threat that he exposed many families who worked in the federal government to, but he will not be a happy man if it passes.

I do not think a lot of people will be shedding any tears for any misfortune that he may face. One can be sure that there is none coming from the many that he might have harmed. He should not be too perturbed if their finding comfort in the thought that ‘what goes around does come around’. And he has only himself to blame for it.

As a therapist, there are many things that I could say about Musk’s emotional state and what from the standpoint of personal well-being the future may hold for him. I will not indulge public analysis or speculation about his mental health, especially as I do not have a therapeutic relationship with him. But from where I sit, things just do not seem right. You do not indulge the level of drug use that Musk himself has admitted without paying a price for your health. If he is not yet getting it, he would be well advised to seek help. As the Good Book says, there is a way that seems to be right, but in the end, it leads to death (Proverbs 14: 12).

Dr Raulston Nembhard is a priest, social commentator and author of the books: Finding Peace in the Midst of Life’s Storms; The Self-esteem Guide to a Better Life and Beyond Petulance: Republican Politics and the Future of America. Check out his podcast -Mango Tree Dialogues- on his You Tube channel. Send comments to the Jamaica Observer or stead6655@aol.com.

Raulston Nembhard