Well That Was Fast: A Republican Implosion for the History Books

Trump says Musk is gone and the entire administration can't be far behind.

Apr 02, 2025

I had no idea when I wrote the post, Why the Trump Circus Show is About to Implode, that we were just a week away from watching it in real time, in one terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day for the Republicans.

If you’re reading this, you’re probably well-informed enough to know about the twin bombshells of April 1st—Cory Booker making history with a marathon 25-plus-hour speech; and the dramatic victory of a liberal candidate in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race that had Musk’s backing.

It will help to know what happened in the days leading up to those two events to understand their impact. Both Trump and Musk had a series of blunders in the days between Signalgate and April 1st that undoubtedly put them in a “mood” by Monday and helped create the coming cognitive dissonance.

Musks trip ups

He kicked off the week with a teary Fox interview where he opined over the goodness of Tesla and how he’d never hurt anyone, demonstrating both weakness and a severe level of cluelessness.
He was invited to visit the CIA for what was billed as a meeting about efficiency, but considering the multiple security risks he has created for the CIA, it’s perfectly reasonable to assume that the meeting came with a stern dressing down.
At an event where he was literally (and openly) trying to buy an election, he humiliated himself by attempting to call out the right’s boogeyman George Soros for paying protestors.
And for the cherry on top, he was widely panned, even on his own platform X, for a music video posted by an influencer mega fan that was called the most cringe video on the internet. Warning: it really is cringe. Especially the part about him making babies, over and over again.

Alessandra Basher's music video paying tribute to the world's richest man has been branded the 'most cringe thing on the internet right now'

(Before we continue, if this article resonates with you, it will mean the world to me if you could share it with your friends too. This is how we build a resistance together.)

Trump fumbles

For his part, Trump did himself no favors by not only doubling down on Signalgate but demonstrating his complete lack of understanding of the situation. In other news:

He created such a mess with hundreds of layoffs in the Health Department that workers were lined up outside the building waiting for independent security guards to tell them if they’d been laid off.
His administration deported a legal U.S. citizen to El Salvador and then shrugged when called out on it, claiming they “couldn’t fix it.”
Oblivious to the signs of dissatisfaction, he proudly announced a new and dramatic economy.
And that he was deadly serious about a third term.
Finally, he managed to say the one thing even his most loyal followers didn’t want to hear: that he doesn’t care if prices go up.

History Made

For just over 25 hours, Cory Booker eviscerated Trump and all that he stands for to an audience desperate for Democratic leadership. He didn’t resort to reading from a phone or children’s books, as others have done. He brought receipts with stories: his own and the people he represents, facts, and skillful oration - perfect fodder for social media clips that will undoubtedly be posted on social media platforms worldwide. And people listened. The major news channels all followed the speech. He streamed to his own channel, which garnered 350 million likes. Imagine it (as Trump would say). The population of the United States is 340 million. And no, you can’t like a video more than once.

Booker finished his marathon speech with a homage to John Lewis, a civil rights legend and Georgia Democrat who spent three decades in Congress. “Let’s get in good trouble,” he said, borrowing from Lewis’ legendary call to action.

Just a few hours later, while the internet was still buzzing with excitement over Booker’s speech, Wisconsin's election results came in with a resounding result. An election that Musk cockily proclaimed 'the entire destiny of humanity' rested upon had rejected Musk and his billions of dollars.

It took mere hours into Tuesday for a leak: Trump told his inner team that Musk is out, now. (Still too soon to know if that’s official, but reporting for today is that Trump said he can go back to his businesses now rather than wait until May - time will tell if Trump follows through, and if that includes his DOGE team.)

Cognitive dissonance and why it matters

Musk is not just influential because of his money. He’s influential because of the aura he creates, one of wonder, mystery, and excitement for the future.

Harvard professor Mihir Desai explains that Musk’s business empire operates more like a financial cult, driven not by free cash flow or market dominance, but by unwavering investor faith. As Desai explains, each time Musk teases a grand new vision—whether it’s colonizing Mars, brain implants, robo-taxis, or an all-encompassing app—loyal investors rush back in. The bigger the promise, the stronger the market reaction. And time and again, it has paid off.

But what was once an aura of mystery has become a liability. Musk is not the only one this applies to. Trump’s age and declining cognition are on constant display. His popularity is declining accordingly.

Authoritarian leaders can’t fathom genuine pushback. To them, any opposition must be paid, rigged, or staged—because the alternative is too unsettling: the public simply isn’t into them anymore - they’re not buying what they’re selling.

The irony is that authoritarian regimes fall, not just because of protests, but when they lose their grip on reality. They insulate themselves in a bubble of yes-men and start believing their own propaganda—until the whole thing collapses under the weight of its own delusion.

And that’s where we are. Trump and Musk have been hit squarely in the face with reality. People don’t like them. We don’t like their policies. And no, you can’t just pull out a chainsaw and take the whole thing down.

Where we go from here

Unfortunately, we’re still in this for the long game. There is no quick mechanism to put things back to where they were - no do-over buttons.

We can expect Trump and his accolates to increase their tantrums and bad behavior as they fight the dissonance. We’ll need to pick up our resistance to match. There will still be losses, and people will be hurt. We’ll need to step up our care for one another, especially the vulnerable. But the wins should outnumber the losses, especially as people continue to wake up.

But the good news is that it is just a matter of time before we take them down. Keep doing what you’re doing - we’ll get there.

🔥 What are your thoughts? Are you feeling better than you were a few weeks ago? Drop your thoughts in the comments 👇