It would have been hard to miss the news this month of the spat between US President Trump and Elon Musk. It “escalated quickly”, as the kids say, with Musk accusing Trump of hiding his associations with Jeffrey Epstein and Trump floating the possibility of cutting off Musk’s federal contracts. The dust-up ended with Musk returning, tail between his legs, to say that he was sorry.

This is the second time that Musk has been reminded that the forces of MAGA have more political heft than the Silicon Valley tech bros. The last time the MAGA hammer came down on Elon, it was to remind him that Trump supporters voted against increased immigration after the Tesla boss pushed for the issuance of more H1B visas to foreign workers in the technology sector.

This is the second time that Musk has been reminded that the forces of MAGA have more political heft than the Silicon Valley tech bros.Credit: Getty Images

This new conflict has reignited the debates between MAGA populism and Silicon Valley libertarianism. While the dispute around H1B visas may have been clear-cut – the Trump ticket does not support policies like this – the issues that led to the recent clash are far less so. Musk........

© The Sydney Morning Herald