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Prior to the election, Elon Musk warned non-billionaire Americans to brace for “temporary hardship” (approving) in the event of a second Donald Trump presidency. Over the weekend, after insisting he’d impose 25 percent tariffs on all Canadian and Mexican imports, Trump also acknowledged (perhaps for the first time) that his economic policies will cause “pain.” By Monday, he’d backed down from the tariffs, but Musk is still on a rampage through the federal bureaucracy and Trump continues his efforts to purge the Justice Department and remake the government dictatorially.

In this episode, Matt and Brian discuss:

* Why did Trump (again) chicken out of his tariff threats?

* Does it tell us anything meaningful about his real views, his political calculations, or what he may do in the future?

* Why didn’t Trump exempt China, and what does that mean for the U.S. economy (and for Musk, who conducts tons of business in China)?

Then, behind the paywall, a through line connecting Trump’s economic policy bluster with his very real effort to mount an authoritarian takeover. What are Trump, Musk, and his technogoons doing behind the scenes at the Treasury Department? Why are they also fixated on USAID? And how should Democrats, including nervous moderates, be prepared to respond?

All that, plus the full Politix archive are available to paid subscribers—just upgrade your subscription and pipe full episodes directly to your favorite podcast app via your own private feed.

Further reading:

* Brian’s 18 thoughts on the omnicrisis, what Trump thinks he’s doing, and how to sort his volleys and outrages to focus on what matters most.

* Matt makes the case that beleaguered civil servants shouldn’t quit their jobs.

* What Musk’s techdork mafia appears to be doing at the Treasury Department.

* Did Russians sneak a bug into the Oval Office during Trump’s first presidency?