#1804 Elon Musk, the First Trillionaire, and the Broken System That Made Him

Air Date: 6/27/2026 Today we trace how one man went from receiving a $278 million government grant to becoming the world's first trillionaire who spent .025% of his wealth to get Trump elected, then used his position to slash programs that help people while stoking race riots overseas. Full Show Notes Transcript Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email [email protected] BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Use our links to shop Bookshop.org and Libro.fm for a non-evil book and audiobook purchasing experience! Join our Discord community! TOP TAKES KP 1: 'Billionaire CRISIS': How the Country's Wealthiest Are 'bankrolling' U.S. Politics - MS NOW - Air Date 5-27-26 KP 2: We Uncovered a Hidden Wealth Transfer in the SpaceX IPO. You're Holding the Bag. - More Perfect Union - Air Date 5-27-26 KP 3: Trump DOGE Cuts Caused 600,000 Deaths This Year, Fmr. USAID Official Says - The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell - Air Date 11-24-25 KP 4: Everything Is Falling Apart and Americans Aren't Happy About It - Takes™ by Jamelle Bouie - Air Date 6-16-26 KP 5: Elon Musk Celebrates Trillionaire Status by Stoking Racist Terrorism in Belfast! - I Doubt It Podcast - Air Date 6-14-26 KP 6: Why The Economist Hates Wealth Taxes - Garys Economics - Air Date 6-14-26 (00:57:37) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR The System That Made Musk a Trillionaire Is the Real Villain My commentaries on YouTube - Share them! DEEPER DIVES (01:15:26) SECTION A: THE TRILLIONAIRE AND WHAT HE REVEALS A1: 'Massive Loser': World Roasts First Trillionaire Elon Musk - The Rational National - Air Date 6-14-26 A2: A Trillion Dollars - Jonathan Pie - Air Date 6-14-26 A3: Trillionaire Welfare Queen - The John Fugelsang Podcast - Air Date 6-15-26 A4: "Land Grab": Trillionaire Elon Musk Sued in South Texas to Block SpaceX Takeover of Wildlife Refuge - Democracy Now! - Air Date 6-16-26 (01:49:20) SECTION B: THE HUMAN COST OF CONCENTRATED POWER B1: 9.4M Lives at Risk: The Human Cost of Elon Musk's DOGE Cuts - Holy Post Media - Air Date 6-15-26 B2: Justin Wolfers on Musk, Inequality, and the Price of American Democracy - Platypus Economics with Justin Wolfers - Air Date 6-13-26 B3: 'If You Can Keep It': What The Wealth Gap Means For Democracy Part 1 - 1A - Air Date 4-27-26 (02:12:31) SECTION C: THE SPACEX IPO HEIST C1: SpaceX IPO: What They're Not Telling Retail Investors - UNFTR Media - Air Date 6-9-26 C2: The First Trillionaire! - PissedMagistus - Air Date 6-14-26 (02:28:50) SECTION D: BELFAST HOW MUSK FUELS RACIAL VIOLENCE ABROAD D1: Belfast Riots: Why UK Mobs See Racial Violence as 'national Defence' | Amina Shareef | MEE Opinion - Middle East Eye - Air Date 6-18-26 D2: The Truth About the Belfast Riots | Claire Hanna Interview - PoliticsJOE Podcast - Air Date 6-10-26 D3: Major Antiracist Rally Held in Belfast to Condemn Anti-Immigrant Riots - Democracy Now! - Air Date 6-15-26 D4: Elon Musk Moves Against German Broadcaster ZDF After Riot Report - DW News - Air Date 6-16-26 (03:00:30) SECTION E: THE RECKONING BILLIONAIRE RHETORIC AND THE CASE FOR TAXING WEALTH E1: Why Jeff Bezos Wants to Cut Your Taxes - Garys Economics - Air Date 5-31-26 E2: Elon Musk & America's Tech Oligarchy - The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart - Air Date 6-10-26 E3: 'If You Can Keep It': What The Wealth Gap Means For Democracy Part 2 - 1A - Air Date 4-27-26 E4: We Need a Wealth Tax on Billionaires. Here's Why | Aaron Bastani Meets Gabriel Zucman - Novara Media - Air Date 5-24-26 E5: The Hidden Danger of America's Wealth Gap - Robert Reich and Inequality Media - Air Date 6-9-26   Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Listen Anywhere! Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at [email protected]