Sometimes what we see in politics isn't real conflict; it's the scenes of a well-constructed theater. When I look at the relationship between Trump and Elon Musk, this is exactly what I see. The announcement of the DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency), Musk's promotion as the face of this organization, and then DOGE's subsequent disappearance amidst the intense debate…

The entire process feels to me like a deliberate role-playing scheme. Under the guise of "making the federal government more efficient," the Trump administration aimed to shrink the bureaucracy, eliminate certain institutions, and make significant personnel changes in areas long dominated by Democrats. Some of these moves were publicly interpreted as "purges," others as "restructuring," and still others as "purging dissenting voices."

And here's the interesting thing: At the center of all these harsh moves was not Trump, but Elon Musk, the face of DOGE. As criticism mounted, MUSK became a staged figure; The DOGE melted away in the debates, the institution dissolved in the fog, and ultimately, what happened was attributed not to Trump, but to the "shadow of the technocratic figure." This story reminds me of that disturbingly true principle in Machiavelli's The Prince:

"The prince doesn't do the bad things himself; he has his men do them.
When the time comes, he sacrifices them and becomes a hero in the eyes of the people."

Trump bringing Musk onto the stage, initiating some of the transformations he wanted in the bureaucracy through the DOGE, then giving the appearance of "distancing" through tensions and verbal duels... This doesn't seem like a real war to me, but a masterful game. On one side, the apparent conflict, on the other, the quietly unfolding bureaucratic redesign. On the other, harsh pronouncements, on the other, the shifting balance in the background.

The biggest mistake in politics is to assume every scene is real. But sometimes, the whole storm is just a distraction—the real storm breaks out behind the scenes, and we see that time has passed since that major fight... Then they reconciled again and continue on their way together. But still, it is clearly felt that there is a subtle coldness between them, but this is also part of the theatre.