In response to billionaire Elon Musk's unlawful takeover of the Treasury Department, about 1,000 citizens and elected Democrats gathered in Washington on Tuesday to protest. Demonstrators waved signs blasting "President Musk" or "King Elon," noting that no one had elected the Trump adviser to serve as the power behind the throne. This meme of "President Musk" has also spread rapidly on social media, with even Kamala Harris' former running mate, Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, joking, "Elon Musk is a terrible president."

Elon Musk is a terrible president.

— Governor Tim Walz (@governorwalz.mn.gov) February 3, 2025 at 5:34 PM

Unfortunately, Musk gets a kick out of this, because the man is a Bond villain minus the intelligence and coolness. Yet the narrative persists, in part, as an effort to raise awareness about what looks very much like a coup, but also in the misguided hope of driving a wedge between Musk and the man who technically is the president, Donald Trump. He may be the only man in the world whose snowflake-fragile ego surpasses Musk's. By pointing out that Musk is overshadowing him, the goal is to provoke narcissistic injury in Trump, causing him to lash out and kick the billionaire video game cheater out the door. 

To understand Trump's indifference, it helps to look back at the happiest time in his life: a reality TV stint pretending to be a successful businessman on NBC's "The Apprentice."

It's a smart theory, one based on basic psychology. Yet after months of taunting Trump with the "President Musk" meme, it doesn't seem to be working. It has forced Trump to do some ego protection work, like unpersuasively insisting, "Elon can’t do and won’t........

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