The Beginning of the End
Sunday 11 May 2025
Historians may look back at President Trump’s Liberation Day and see it as an epoch-making moment in American history. A century or two from now, the story of the United States as a superpower might read as follows:
The United States of America began operations on March 4, 1789, at New York City’s Federal Hall. Lacking a quorum, a follow-up meeting had to be organized. From its humble origins as a British colony, the United States rose to become the world’s richest nation with the most powerful military of the time. But after 236 years and 29 days, the United States unwittingly undid itself from the global trade alliances that had fueled its economic growth and political stability. The idea was to use tariff revenues to offset mounting debt while weakening China’s rising influence. Instead, the Liberation Day Tariffs backfired—accelerating China’s ascent to superpower status rather than curbing it.
No one knows how long the U.S. will retain its superpower status, but as of April 2, 2025—Liberation Day—it entered a final chapter of its exceptional history. In Churchillian terms, we might say: the Trump Tariffs are not the end of the United States of America, but rather the beginning of the end.
Trust and credibility – once the cornerstones of America’s exceptionalism – have been replaced by celebrity star arrogance and bluster that has little appeal outside the U.S. Trump is right to target fentanyl and intellectual property theft. However, the merits of these arguments are negated by a combative and one-sided approach that is quick to place labels and slow to think. The Art of the Deal may serve in real estate, but its blunt-force tactics are ill-suited for the intricate, layered demands of international trade.
Brilliant idiot.
Donald Trump glistens with the unbounded confidence of an idiot, supported by a country of idiots, in a nation where sixty percent of adults read below a sixth-grade level. The architecture of civic knowledge has crumbled. But the damage runs deeper than one man. What was once a republic of laws and ideals increasingly resembles what might be called Stupidville: a place where ideology replaces inquiry, slogans substitute for solutions, and the Ninth Commandment—“Thou shalt not bear false witness”—has been disassembled.
From a media perspective, Trump’s Rose Garden presentation was a grand slam. It won the President the international
attention he wanted, but it also announced to the world that everyone should seek alternatives to trading with the U.S. Of course, Trump never said this—but it’s how people respond to bullying. Canada has been more outspoken than most, but their perspective is widely shared around the globe. One wonders if the President gave any forethought to the possibility of losing more trade than he gains.
Liberation Day has had the unintended consequence of triggering a trade windfall for China. The trade gap Trump sought to close has only been widened as President Xi and Chinese representatives canvas the world, picking up on hundreds of deals indirectly initiated by Trump’s threat and his half-baked plan. It’s no wonder Xi is taking his time. This affords China the chance to flank the U.S. on the world stage and gain the upper hand on trade. Trillions have gone out of the U.S. economy and trillions more are likely to follow. Stock markets may rebound, but those rebounds will be temporary.
In 2024, the U.S. accounted for about 25% of global GDP, compared to 18% for China. Trump has now made closing this 7% gap a lot easier for China.
Donald Trump is – as many have said – the most consequential president of modern times. This is now indisputable as he pulls the rug out from under the U.S. economy. While some new trade deals will be made, it’s unlikely that the U.S. will regain the footing it had before Liberation Day.
As markets and the dollar slide, so does the United States of America as a superpower. Generations of hard work and goodwill are now moving in reverse at a time when the country can least afford it. It’s not the end, but the beginning of the end for the United States of America.
[Asset] Krasnov
Sunday 6 April 2025
The Kremlin wasn’t looking for an agent but an asset when it sought out Donald Trump at a luncheon in New York City in 1986. The odds of anything happening were remote, but it was the job of Russian Ambassador Yuri Dubinin and his daughter Natalia to give it their best. Natalia had done her homework and made the first move, buttering up Trump by praising Trump Tower. It worked—as stated in The Art of the Deal, Natalia “had read about Trump Tower and knew all about it,” Trump wrote.
Donald Trump had passed the KGB’s initial behavioral vulnerability test. Privately, the Russians laugh at the boastfulness of Americans, but when it comes to finding agents and assets they seek out this characteristic. To Russian intelligence services, big talkers are insecure people and ripe for exploitation – whether in or outside Russia.
By every conceivable metric, including common sense, something is seriously wrong with the Trump presidency. In just over two months, the U.S. has alienated its closest allies and sent its economy into retreat. While pushing for a return of manufacturing to America, the Trump administration has cracked down on many of the people needed to fill manufacturing jobs. Not illegals, but trustworthy immigrants frightened by what they see. And while all this is happening, Donald Trump publicly degrades a man who is democracy’s greatest modern hero, treating Ukraine’s President Zelensky as though he were the enemy.
What could possibly make a U.S. president act like this?
Applying the logic of Occam’s Razor—where the simpler explanation is usually the correct one—we might ask:
A. Did President Trump—despite his history of business failures and bankruptcies—figure out a grand scheme for the complex task of returning efficiency to government while eliminating the national debt?
Or
B. Did President Trump fall prey to Russia and become a Russian asset?
Donald Trump fit the bill in 1986 and has likely been a Russian asset ever since. While he may not have been aware that Russian intelligence was tracking him, this changed in the early 1990s when Trump turned to Russia for help. He couldn’t find lenders in the U.S., so he went abroad. Russia liked him, and he liked Russia.
Russia’s spy agencies have been in the business of developing “assets” and “agents” since the early days of the Soviet Union, well over a hundred years ago, and even before then under the Czar. Agents are essentially employees of Russian spy agencies. Assets, however, are individuals who can lead Russian spies to intelligence. A Russian asset may not even know that he or she is an asset or be aware they’re being groomed as one. This, however, becomes clear in times of desperation when, like the mafia, the Kremlin offers a deal you can’t refuse. When this moment came for Donald Trump, the Kremlin sprang into action.
After helping Trump to address his immediate financial needs, Russian intelligence began to leak information to him, collected over his many visits to Russia. This information showed that Trump’s debt to Russia wasn’t just financial but entangled in mountains of incriminating pictures and videos. Like the bonefish, Trump had not just taken the bait but swallowed it along with the hook. Russia would reel him in when needed.
Why would anyone who wants to make America rich again turn away from the $20 trillion GDP of the European Union – and a $1.6 trillion trading partner – in favor of Russia? As of 2021, before the Ukraine war started, Russia’s GDP was one-tenth the size of the EU’s and its trade 1/80th ($20 billion) of the U.S.’s trade with the EU. What does America gain from Russia versus Europe? To most, the survival of Europe is central to the U.S. economy and Western civilization, but this doesn’t seem to register with Donald Trump, despite his German heritage.
Trump not only sways to Putin’s waltz but sings along too. Like Putin and Hungary’s authoritarian ruler Orbán, Trump is well-versed in victimhood. He doesn’t see our trading partners as critical to America’s security and success but as adversaries – doing harm to the fabric of America. What may be a justified argument about trade imbalances is suddenly turned into childish outbursts about being “cheated” and “ripped off.” In Trump’s world, somebody is always a victim. If not himself—which is usually the case—the victim is one of his constituencies. Of course, nobody likes being cheated, but to say this is the case with our trading partners is to tell only half the story.
We never hear Trump mention the advantage given to the U.S. Dollar as the world’s reserve currency. Nor does he acknowledge the 1,145 NATO soldiers—from Canada, Australia, and 14 European countries—who fought and died alongside the U.S. in Afghanistan after 9/11. These facts undermine victimhood and are not just ignored but forgotten.
It’s difficult to understand U.S. President Donald Trump, but Donald Trump as a Russian asset squares with his behavior – particularly given his history with Russia and the billions in dark money that are the lifeblood of Putin’s criminal empire. Trump, forever the victim, is okay with dark money, even if it flows through the same channels that supply foreign enemies, terrorists, and cartels. He sees it as fair compensation for the abuse he has had to endure in the courts and public media.
Trump’s call with the Russian leader in February was just another step in his embrace of Putin. The war that he said he would end on day one following his inauguration continues. Feigning that he really wants to end the war, Trump is giving Putin the time needed to rebuild his forces and continue his assault on Ukraine.
That’s a friendship that only money can buy.
Two Dimensional Donny
Sunday 2 March 2025
Following the President’s inauguration, my head has not stopped spinning. The blogs I’ve written since couldn’t keep pace with the non-stop news cycle coming from the White House. It’s all too much, too fast, and makes me consider the merits of being disconnected and uninformed.
Let’s be clear. DOGE is no longer the Department of Government Efficiency. A better name is DOGC (the Department of Government Cuts). For many, “cuts” equate to “efficiency,” but this is incorrect. Would you unplug your refrigerator to save on your next electric bill? You may save some money on electricity, but you lose even more in spoiled food. Unfortunately, this is exactly what the President and Musk are doing in the name of efficiency. The joy of seeing mass terminations of civil servants is welcomed by Trump supporters until they learn a contract they had was axed because of those terminations.
While I give President Trump credit for moving quickly and decisively in keeping campaign promises, it’s beginning to feel like we’re on board a train that is traveling at many times its recommended speed. I see bags about to fall from luggage racks and wonder when the train will follow. Radical change is needed in Washington, but what the President and Mr. Musk are doing is reckless and, I believe, will cost us dearly. The stock market’s steady decline and weak GDP numbers are clear signs of the unease caused by the Trump administration’s cut-first-and-ask-questions-later approach.
What Trump and Musk are doing is equivalent to cutting off a leg to get a head start on a new diet. Playing to an enthusiastic base, the President and Mr. Musk have taken a decidedly unnuanced approach to making Washington efficient. This is not a pivoting of Washington but a reshaping of it based on the wants of a single man, Donald Trump, whose mastery of government requires no debate or legislative involvement.
When it came to building a rocket, Musk claims to have read everything he could find on the subject. But he hasn’t adhered to this principle with DOGE and has made the mistake of assuming he knows what he's not taken the time to learn. Musk doesn’t seem to understand that government agencies, and the civil servants within, are like dominos; you knock one over, and many more follow—in and outside the government. Because he hasn’t looked ahead, Musk can’t see that the bridge he’s on is falling out from under him.
Outright fraud should be dealt with as swiftly as possible. But cutting government agencies wholesale—without assessing what an agency does—is to confuse political rhetoric with political reality. This is suicide. It’s hard to comprehend how the genius Musk can be so shortsighted. His cheerful willingness belies the damage he’s doing to the country. This is the United States of America, not Twitter. But it’s hard to tell if Musk sees any difference. I wonder if he realizes that as soon as the economy begins to retreat, he will be the one blamed by the President. Republicans and Democrats alike will pile on. I wonder if he’s given any consideration to the millions of nerves he’s rattled—at home and abroad—to the impact it will have on his businesses, and his personal safety or that of his big family. Musk seems oblivious to the dangerous game he’s playing.
At his recent news conference, standing alongside the seated President, I was impressed by the details Musk offered. He gave specific examples of some of the fraud that’s been found and stopped and talked about getting to the bottom of Treasury’s broken payment system, where the most taxpayer money is lost. But the fact that Musk sees X and Doge.gov—which is a copy-paste of @DOGE on X—as a legitimate means for keeping the public informed, what Musk calls “maximally transparent,” undermines the importance of this work. Maybe a genius can piece together all of DOGE’s threads; however, getting to the essence of what’s being cut, who will be impacted, and the near and long-term savings is nearly impossible.
Meanwhile, the President’s concern for the thousands who died in Ukraine and Russia stands in contrast to his needless ridicule of thousands of civil servants being fired around the country. For Trump, empathy is for losers. He sees his indifference to the suffering of others as an asset. His concern for the peoples of Ukraine and Russia is feigned and part of the President’s showmanship—an effort to be nominated for the Nobel Prize. I believe Macron and/or Starmer have already put this on the table. For a consciousness fueled by fairy dust, it may be the only means for separating Trump from his embrace of Putin. At home, let’s remind the President that without the Nobel Prize, there is no Mount Rushmore.
For anyone who hasn’t read a book on history in the past forty years, grasping the complex and tragic story of Ukraine can be difficult. Deal-making is easier for a person who understands what makes for good TV but whose vision is limited to what matters to him and follows no path beyond his term. Turning lies into facts comes easier, but it’s no future for the country he claims to love. In John 8, Jesus compares lying to the devil. If we want to understand Trump, we should listen to Jesus.
Trump’s worst habits and mind-boggling ignorance were dampened during his first term thanks to a few informed and rational people who got in the way. Now, surrounded by true believers, Trump’s worst instincts are playing in fast-forward due to a highly efficient and morally-deficient entrepreneur named Elon Musk, who has graduated from kick-ass tech leader, to ass, to asshole. Cutting government without regard for mission or people takes an ass. But to enjoy doing it takes an asshole. For this reason, I believe DOGE’s Elon Musk is an asshole. My only defense for Musk is that he suffers from Asperger’s (high-functioning autism). For many with this condition, finding empathy or even understanding it is hard. We should see Musk’s brain as Swiss cheese—dense in parts but otherwise filled with holes. Musk gets rockets. Musk doesn’t get people.
For Trump and Musk, nobody is expected to remember yesterday or care about tomorrow. Of course, this is not the case, as we see the world scrambling to form new alliances. The same cut-first-and-ask-questions-later template applied to streamlining Washington’s bureaucracy is being used on the world stage. But the possible consequences of these actions don’t seem to register with the President. He doesn’t seem to realize that foreigners think differently than his diehard followers. They’re not looking for MAGA greatness, just stability, happiness, and a reason to plan for a future worth living.
The President speaks of wielding the power of the United States to make it great again but seems to have little understanding of the true source of this power. While military and economic strength help, the true source of U.S. greatness is its credibility as an honest broker on the world stage. It has taken the United States 235 years to build this credibility. In the unnuanced mind of President Donald J. Trump, this is on the chopping block too.
So, when does the United States of America stop being the United States of America? This starts, in my humble opinion, when the Constitution and the rule of law are ignored. While Trump is not the first President to cross this line, he’s the first to do so openly and repeatedly. His vision of America is nothing like Guthrie’s This Land Is Your Land. But perhaps closer to the State Anthem of the Soviet Union.
The Prosecution of George Soros
Sunday 19 January 2025
In a recent interview on X, Elon Musk claimed that, in his opinion, George Soros "hates humanity." This bold statement, coming from the platform’s owner, carries significant weight and raises questions about Musk's understanding of Soros's life and work.
Musk mentioned Soros's "troubled upbringing" but made no comparison to his own troubled upbringing. Such a comparison, however, might have underscored a fact Musk seems unable to grasp: what it meant to be a 13-year-old Jewish boy in Budapest during the height of the Nazi occupation in 1944. If Musk were to visit the Jewish Synagogue in the heart of Budapest, he would see gravestone after gravestone marked 1944—a stark reminder of the 424,000 Hungarian Jews deported to Auschwitz in just eight weeks. Others were shot and thrown into the Danube. Soros survived this horror as a child, a reality that would trouble any moral person deeply. Does Musk understand history or did he forget this unimaginable chapter?
George Soros has long supported progressive causes, much as the Koch brothers have championed conservative ones. Musk, meanwhile, has given more financial backing to Trump than Soros and Koch combined have given to any candidate. But because Soros funds liberal causes—such as supporting judges Musk considers "soft on crime"—a giant leap of faith is made in accusing Soros of hating humanity. That logic is akin to calling Musk a murderer and blaming him for all electric vehicle-related deaths because of his influence on the EV industry.
Source: Wikipedia
The accusation that Soros "hates humanity" also reflects a troubling pattern. Around the world, Soros has become a convenient scapegoat for populist leaders. His Jewish heritage and foreign accent make him a target for subtle and overt bigotry. The anti-Soros narrative has parallels to the “stab-in-the-back” myth that spread across Europe after World War I, blaming Jews for Germany and Austria’s defeat. Today, Soros is similarly blamed for everything from election interference to wildfires in California—an absurd but effective tactic for sowing division.
Musk, a self-professed voracious reader, claims to have read the Bible. Yet his comments about Soros suggest he may have overlooked—or forgotten—the Ninth Commandment: “Thou shalt not bear false witness.” Spreading misinformation, whether on social media or in public discourse, erodes trust and fuels division. The Ninth Commandment may have been observed day one on platforms like Facebook and Twitter but surely was discarded by noon in favor of capitalism's First Commandment: Revenue.
Musk criticized Soros for “breaking the Bank of England,” referring to his role in shorting the British pound in 1992. However, Musk fails to mentioned the role the Bank of England played in making itself vulnerable. Whether one agrees with his methods or not, Soros’s achievements are widely respected in financial circles and the envy of hedge fund managers. Framing them as destructive plays into the anti-Soros narrative.
Despite the relentless attacks, law-and-order figures like Hungary’s Viktor Orbán, India’s Narendra Modi, and Donald Trump have never charged Soros with any crimes. The reason is simple: he hasn’t committed any. Soros’s philanthropic efforts, from funding schools like Central European University to supporting political causes, remain legal and, for many, admirable. By joining the anti-Soros bandwagon, Musk aligns himself with populist leaders like Orbán, Modi, and Trump. This may bolster Musk’s public persona among certain audiences, but it risks undermining his credibility with others.
To paraphrase Ronald Reagan: it’s not that Musk is wrong; it’s just that so much of what he says isn’t true.
In the News… Eric, Unions, & Elon Overload
Sunday 5 January 2025
Eric Trump is "so back"…
…and all in on buying Canada, Greenland, and the Panama Canal, like a Black Friday special on Amazon. We had hoped his childhood summers in the Czech Republic might have given him a broader worldview. But it seems those memories have faded, and Eric’s perspective has been reduced to a game of RISK—a colorful playboard with matching pieces provides all the worldview he needs.
Culture, language, and tradition have no place in the pursuit of greatness.
Perhaps Eric thinks everyone wants to be an American and get a whiff of the Trump experience, willingly or by force.
He has been busy and could have missed the DOGE memo about reducing the Federal Government’s footprint. Or maybe he forgot to consider the burden of his proposed acquisitions—dragging on for years, costing billions, and ultimately amounting to nothing. A bit like the border wall.
It will be interesting to see which plan wins out: one (DOGE) that helps the country to run more efficiently or one that’s a replay of Trump 45.
Union Stumbling Block
When Elon Musk said the road ahead will be hard for many, he likely hadn’t considered (and perhaps didn’t know) that 10% of Federal Government employees are union members. This fact is not limited to a handful of agencies but exists throughout the Federal Government. Military and intelligence personnel are not allowed to unionize, but thousands of civilians employed who support the Department of Defense and the intelligence community are unionized.
Elon and Vivek will face some nasty uphill battles with their current agenda. But there’s a solution… if only the boys would read the white paper I sent each in November. White paper for America 2.0 and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Section 3. Approach reads:
Government reform should aim to retain essential talent. Rather than mass termination, a program of mass transitions would be more effective. Civil servants would compete for roles where their skills are most needed—both in and outside the Federal Government. This approach is more publicly appealing and less likely to face resistance from federal unions.
It's not too late! With little work, DOGE could use a service like LinkedIn to help transitioning civil servants out of government to better places. With a booming economy there’s not a better time to pull this off with minimal collateral damage.
Some want to see the retribution Trump promised: mass terminations and a long line of people with packed belongings and blank stares. A bit like when Lehman Brothers closed its doors in 2008. This is the image unions organizers will want to portray. A transition plan, on the other hand, is a different matter and one the unions will find harder to interfere with.
Elon Overload
I’m sorry to admit it, but my admiration for Elon Musk is diminishing.
While I agree with many of his ideas on DOGE, and praise his engineering accomplishments above all, I feel his financial power and influence are unhealthy – for Musk and the country alike. It’s hard to believe he’s a genius when so much trash is spewed from his mouth and on X.
Smart people generally know not to run their mouth.
I have a Tesla Model Y. It’s the best car I’ve ever driven, however, last year I came to realize the car wasn’t entirely mine. During a snowy day the autopilot kept disengaging. Twice I stopped the car to reset it. After an hour it went out entirely. On the screen the steering wheel flashed red. But what I most remember was Tesla’s reprimand.
My Tesla Y (named “E-lon”) threatened to suspend autopilot for up to a week or more. I was being treated like a child by the little Elon within the electronics that control every aspect of the car.
When I called Tesla support the next day, I learned the autopilot issue was caused by something unrelated to my driving - a dirty rear camera. Despite being a very safe car, I now realize that I could be driven off a cliff someday by a guy who wants to save the world but is okay with taking away a safety feature when it’s most needed. For Elon I’m a statistic. My life, a puff of air.
—
Footnote: Donald J. Trump won!
His recent post on X is a repeat of what we heard on the campaign trail. Somebody should tell Donald J. Trump that he won the election and the debate over America’s future. Now is the time to execute on that vision, not to waste energy ranting about it.
I attempted to communicate this message diplomatically to the President-elect but, upon checking, it seems my comment was deleted. I guess I wasn’t diplomatic enough.
Budget Cuts vs Efficiency
Sunday 22 December 2024
As I listen to Elon and Vivek, I’m concerned the duo may be conflating budget cuts with efficiency. While there is some overlap, cuts do not necessarily equate to efficiency. In fact, if not handled properly, budget cuts can backfire and end up costing taxpayers more.
It’s easy to imagine a few key people being swept out the door, only to discover a month later that we need to pay a contractor ten times more to do their work. It’s the moment when contractors salivate and rake in millions.
Elon proposes eliminating redundan
cy and improving operational efficiency by consolidating over 400 federal
agencies into fewer than 100. And Vivek wants to "delete" some agencies and reduce inefficiencies by slashing the government’s headcount by 75%. I agree with these objectives and believe they’re achievable. However, they’re far less likely to succeed if civil servants are terminated without a transition plan. “You’re fired” may have worked in reality TV and thrilled audiences, but when it comes to building a better nation, shaming fellow Americans is destructive, counterproductive, and unethical.
A transition serves as a filter for identifying the best people in government. This includes those capable of managing tomorrow’s leaner federal government. But it could also be a means for building a team of smart accountants incentivized to recover some of the $247 billion lost to error and fraud in 2022, as reported by the GAO.
A transition plan also helps civil servants find their next job outside government. This is important as mass terminations not only create personal hardships but also put the economy at risk. Transitioning, on the other hand, removes the stigma of a job loss and mitigates the economic downturn that could accompany the termination of over a million people.
We should imagine the federal government as a castle entangled in vines. We can tear down the vines and risk toppling the castle, or we can cut the vines meticulously – while restoring the castle to its original splendor.
Is Elon Musk the right man for DOGE?
Sunday 15 December 2024
If efficiency is implemented in Washington like it has been on X, we should expect a Federal Government infiltrated by crooks and scammers. This was my recent experience. It began when a woman named Christy Beck, “Social Media Assistant to Elon Musk,” kicked off a process that attempted to rob me of $50,000.
His engineering skills are beyond this world. Through hard work and determination, Elon Musk has succeeded in bringing science fiction to the real world while addressing some of mankind’s biggest challenges. X, however, is not about sending people to Mars but more about wreaking havoc on the common Untermensch that remain on Earth. Musk calls it free speech, but his passive attitude has been a welcoming card to bad actors. And there are many on X, parading about right under the nose of its owner and genius, Elon Musk.
FAKE + REAL = X
We can all understand the bitterness Elon felt. He was forced to buy a company he didn’t want, and at a premium yet. This, however, doesn’t justify what followed, certainly not for a man who says: “If you are not rigorous about truth and honesty then you are going to live in a deluded world.” (Reference: Aspire to Be Honest by Gail Alfar.)
After acquiring Twitter in October 2022, Elon reduced the workforce by approximately 80%, cutting the number of full-time employees from 7,500 to about 1,500. Significant layoffs occurred across departments, including trust and safety.
Those cuts were needed, just like Washington cuts are needed. However, in the process of downsizing Twitter, Elon abandoned the rigors of truth in exchange for a better profit margin.
Today X is not shy about its disregard for rigor in defense of truth and honesty. The infamous blue mark that most see as a sign of a user’s authenticity is now a mockery of what it once meant. Instead of validating users, X’s Premium subscription fee now does the opposite—assuring subscribers that they “will not undergo review.”
Having already encountered a number of Elon Musk impersonators, I thought I was on the right track when I received a reply from Christy Beck, “SOCIAL MEDIA ASSISTANT TO ELON MUSK.” With an account on X, a blue checkmark, and 11k posts, I assumed Christy to be the real deal. She wasn’t, but rather the keeper of a rathole defended by a man who gets teary-eyed when talking about the importance of truth and honesty but shows no willingness to uphold these principles on X.
Beck provided me Elon’s address on Telegram: @RealElonMusk_X. She promised nothing but suggested I give it a try. I wrote Elon and applauded the creation of DOGE. I also informed Elon of my background and research in this area and shared a white paper I had written for DOGE. Two days later, I received a reply from Elon and a short note of appreciation for the DOGE white paper. Wow, I thought, is this actually happening. Wanting to stay on his radar, a few days later, I sent Elon an article I had drafted on DOGE. I thought he might see my move as pushy, but I considered that a plus.
Within a few hours, I received a very positive reply from Elon. To this, I asked if I could help the DOGE team. Elon replied yes, and I shared my email and cell phone. I didn’t understand the context, but Elon wrote that I would be hearing from his Wealth Manager. He didn’t provide a name, but I searched and quickly found Jared Birchall.
Late the next day, I received a text message from a person claiming to be Jared Birchall. It looked like things were coming together. Jared explained that he would be assisting me in the onboarding process. I hadn’t asked about money and wasn’t expecting anything other than an opportunity to get involved and volunteer my time.
It was Saturday when things turned odd. Jared had texted me and asked if I was familiar with Top Capital Choice (TCC), a crypto trading platform. He wanted me to open an account on TCC and deposit $5,000. He explained that Elon asks this of all team members. It seemed strange, but I rationalized it as Elon’s version of the Franklin Effect—where getting a person to do something for you makes them like you.
The TCC website was new to me, but I could see it was designed for crypto trading. Despite the risk, I saw it as an opportunity to ride the DOGE coin wave and other assets hyped by Elon. My $5,000 wire was pending and would go out Monday morning.
Sensing my vulnerability, scam-team Elon went off script a few hours later. Not Jared, but the world’s richest man wanted me to join his VIP team, but for a fee of $100,000! The generous Elon would cover half of it. My heart sank when I read this message because I couldn’t imagine any billionaire wasting time on pennies. This was not the Franklin Effect but a scam.
I informed Elon that I would need to have a video call with him. I didn’t expect one, but a short while later, I received a voice message from Elon—short and to the point—it sounded every bit like the real Elon Musk. The fake Elon said he was too busy for a video call but encouraged me to move forward with Jared. Despite being anxious to get my money, the fake Jared was also too busy to meet online.
I summarized the history of events and sent them to a trusted friend, along with a copy of the Musk voice message. Within an hour, he exposed Christy as a fraud and the voice message from Elon to be AI-generated. I logged into my bank account and canceled the pending transfer.
Today’s X is the “deluded world” that Elon warned of.
We can give Elon the permissions he needs to launch rockets to the Moon and Mars, and for the Full Self-Driving Tesla, but we should keep him far from anything that requires the rigors of truth and honesty. Better to leave this to Vivek.
Fred Eberlein