A character trait of mine that last year’s election truly accentuated is my tendency towards cautious optimism. While many cheered, celebrated, cried tears of joy, or praised the Almighty on election night, I still had this feeling that we had merely averted crisis; before I saw tangible victories, the happiness should wait.
This is not some inherently superior approach. On one hand, you need someone like that in the room to peer through the perhaps premature celebration and encourage focus and deliberation. On the other hand, that same person misses out on a lot of emotional resonance and soaking in the moment when monumental things happen. Either way, I have a proclivity to peer through the celebration and find the possible weak point that could collapse the house of cards, hoping to redirect everyone towards preparing to have it covered.
While I was finally able to experience some hope and happiness in victory beginning on Monday, I still think we have a lot to be careful with before proclaiming victory, particularly as the recent swing of tech billionaires into Team Trump just elicits a weird feeling deep in my gut. Forgive me if I find it a little odd that Jeff Bezos – who was rumored to be considering a presidential run himself once upon a time – and Mark Zuckerberg – who followed Biden administration directives to censor right-wing social media posts – were invited to attend Trump’s inauguration. Whether it is an olive branch move by the president or his affluent counterparts, an opportunity for the executives to finally express their true loyalties, or a convenient move to hop on the bandwagon of political popularity, we cannot yet know. Until we do, however, it would be prudent to keep these figures at a skeptical arms’ distance.
But I want to extend this treatment to someone who seems to have found a lot of favor on the right: Elon Musk. I certainly do not have contempt for the man, nor do I think him to be a Nazi sympathizer as left-wing media outlets have tried to state this week. But something within me is raising red flags about his swiftly-gained influence in the Trump movement.
Very quickly after endorsing the president, donating to him, and meeting with him, Musk could be seen at his side virtually all the time. Trump even jokingly remarked during the transition process that he “can’t get rid of” Musk, and that he was hanging around Mar-a-Lago quite persistently.
I do not mean to make character attacks, only assessments, but we must remember that Musk does not seem to share the moral foundations at the root of true American conservatism. He has recently described himself as a “cultural Christian,” which is a lot like saying you like being in shape but don’t want to eat healthy or go to the gym. You may well see the value in Jesus’ teachings for this life, but not understanding that such value derives from His being true and then committing to living those values personally erodes all credibility from advocating for them.
A very similar argument was made against Trump’s ascendance to head of the conservative movement. The difference is that Trump understood, had substantial common ground with, and politically answered to a conservative voter base. Musk has no such loyalty.
I truly believe that Trump just might have been “born for such a time as this,” as was said of Queen Esther (Esther 4:14). But while he might not be a disciple of Christ (we cannot truly know his heart), God can certainly use him for good in history. The “millimeter miracle” certainly gives this belief a lot of credence.
But we cannot extend that belief to Musk, who has little if any truly conservative beliefs aligned with an objective moral code, or even just an essential belief in America’s founding principles (which were grounded in biblical philosophy).
I hope I am wrong, and that Musk and his affluent peers will be a force for good, driven by pure motives. I pray God uses them for good no matter where their heart is. Additionally, I certainly appreciate their contributions to the success of this movement. But we must be careful how much we let our political tent grow, or to whom we hitch our wagons. The very people we see as rising figures championing a new conservative movement may well be wolves in sheep’s clothing.
Let’s hope and pray not, but until we know, let’s err on the side of cautious optimism.
Carter Ashcraft is a 21-year-old from Tuscaloosa, Ala., who is majoring in political science at the University of Alabama. You can contact him at carterashcraft12@gmail.com.
The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of 1819 News. To comment, please send an email with your name and contact information to Commentary@1819News.com.
Don't miss out! Subscribe to our newsletter and get our top stories every weekday morning.
