As America celebrates Thanksgiving, the absurdity of the incoming Trump administration is on full display. With Melania Trump signaling her disinterest in reprising her role as first lady, two of the president-elect’s most obsequious supporters—billionaire Elon Musk and newly minted Senator JD Vance—are engaged in a bizarre competition to curry favor with the soon-to-be commander-in-chief.
Musk’s Mar-a-Lago Cameo
Elon Musk, who has seemingly abandoned his many children to ingratiate himself with the Trump family, has been a fixture at Mar-a-Lago since the election. According to sources close to the situation, the tech mogul has earned “uncle status” with Trump’s granddaughter Kai and secured a coveted seat at the family’s Thanksgiving table.
Musk was seen bopping to the Village People’s “YMCA” and giggling over a bizarre AI-generated video tweeted by Trump, which depicted the president-elect popping out of a turkey that Joe Biden was about to carve. The billionaire, who spent the rest of the day tweeting self-aggrandizing videos of himself, appeared to have little time for his own family during the holiday—a curious choice for someone who frequently urges others to have multiple children.
Vance’s Bizarre Meme
Not to be outdone, vice president-elect JD Vance took to Twitter with a strange Photoshopped image of Norman Rockwell’s iconic “Freedom from Want” painting. In Vance’s version, Trump’s face is superimposed on the patriarch, while Vance himself is depicted as the matriarch, complete with an apron and blue dress. Rather than presenting a turkey, as in the original, Vance holds up a red map of America.
The peculiar tweet, which some observers believe was an attempt to reassert Vance’s influence in the face of Musk’s growing prominence, marks a striking departure from the senator’s past rhetoric. Once a vocal critic who compared Trump to Hitler, Vance now appears eager to portray himself as the president-elect’s devoted housewife.
Vance is worried about Elon having more influence than him, so he thought posting this weird meme would win him favor again.
– A former advisor to Vice President Kamala Harris
The Inanity of Evil
As the Trump administration prepares to resume power, Americans can expect a steady stream of these surreal displays. The banality of evil has given way to the inanity of evil, with the passage of inhumane policies and the gutting of public services accompanied by idiotic memes designed to “own the libs.” The online trolls have emerged from beneath the bridge, and the shitposters now advise the president.
Threats to Muslim Congresswomen
The normalization of this behavior is evident in the muted response to a casual death threat issued by Florida state senator and Trump-endorsed congressional candidate Randy Fine. In a tweet directed at Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar, the only Muslim women in Congress, Fine wrote, “The Hebrew Hammer is coming. [Rashida Tlaib] and [Ilhan Omar] might consider leaving before I get there. #BombsAway.”
Had Tlaib or Omar delivered a similar message to Fine, it would have been front-page news, and President Biden would have issued an outraged statement. Instead, the incident barely registered in the media. Fine, it should be noted, previously cheered the murder of Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi, a 26-year-old American activist reportedly killed by Israeli forces while peacefully protesting illegal settlements in the West Bank.
A Bleak Outlook
As the Trump administration’s return looms, the United States faces the prospect of four years marked by the rollback of reproductive rights, the passage of draconian legislation, and the undermining of democratic institutions. Against this grim backdrop, the spectacle of Musk and Vance vying for the president-elect’s affections serves as a stark reminder of the moral bankruptcy that pervades the highest echelons of power.
With Melania Trump poised to abdicate her responsibilities as first lady, the void at the center of the administration will likely be filled by an ever-rotating cast of sycophants and opportunists. As the nation braces for the challenges ahead, the Thanksgiving antics of Elon Musk and JD Vance offer a chilling preview of the dystopian farce that awaits.
