Trump supporters launch campaign against Musk, Tesla and SpaceX

Recently, according to foreign media reports, a right-wing propaganda group led by Donald Trump's main supporters recently launched a campaign to "stop Musk from failing again" with the intention of stopping Elon Musk from "cheating" American taxpayers through Tesla and Space X. The campaign has won the support of conservative public relations experts and insiders of the Trump team.

The "Citizens for the Republic" organization was first founded by former US President Ronald Reagan in the 1970s and disbanded after his term ended. Last year, conservative expert Laura Ingram led Trump supporters to restart the organization as a political action committee to support Trump's election. It is reported that Donald Trump is considering Laura Ingram as the next White House press secretary.

Currently, Ingram serves as the chairman of the "Citizens Committed to a Republic" organization and has launched the "Stop Musk and Company" campaign. Although they claim to oppose companies that make billions of dollars from the American people but give zero return to consumers, they only target certain specific industries. For example, the organization expressed opposition to "big energy" in its manifesto, but they only criticized the solar industry because it can get tax breaks.

To make their case against Musk and his company more convincing, Citizens for a Republic cites several claims that have long been disproven. They claim that “Elon Musk defrauded American taxpayers of $4.9 billion (about 30 billion RMB) in the form of subsidies, allowances, and other perks.” The $4.9 billion includes “imaginary” tax breaks that Tesla would have received 20 years from now, discounted loans that Tesla has already repaid in full and some funds for projects that it never received (which would have potentially benefited consumers).

The group "Committed Republican Citizens" led by Laura Ingram has decided to take on the noble mission of stopping all these subsidies from going to Musk's renewable energy companies. "Committed Republican Citizens" is publishing offensive articles about Musk, Tesla, SolarCity and SpaceX on its website. If you have ever tried to understand what Musk was talking about when he said that "the fossil fuel industry must be opposed to the promotion of the industry", this should be a suitable example to explain Musk's behavior at that time.

Given that the organization "Citizens for a Republic" has publicly criticized Tesla, it seems that the fossil fuel industry and the renewable energy industry will engage in a new round of competition in the new political landscape headed by Trump.

Dissecting the organization

Citizens for a Republic is an organization dedicated to revitalizing the conservative movement. Its mission is to uncover corruption that misuses taxpayer dollars and to continually attack Americans who support power and profit.

What do you think of when you hear "big energy"? Oil? Natural gas? Or solar panels? If you guessed any of the first two, you're thinking in a reasonable way. But if you think of the renewable energy of solar energy, then you're probably an ally of the group "Citizens Committed to a Republic." Because this group "hates" solar energy and often attacks it.

"The Obama administration and environmentalists have always attached great importance to the solar industry. Although solar companies have lost money year after year, the U.S. government has provided these companies with millions of dollars in federal tax credits and government subsidies, all of which come from American taxpayers. The government needs to let the American people know when it gives tax breaks to solar companies such as Solyndra and Ener1. The U.S. government must stop interfering in the development of the industry and create an environment for development without tax incentives." However, it is strange that the "Citizens for a Republican Future" organization did not mention in the article that "the oil and gas industry receives $4 billion in funding from taxpayers each year."

Here are some anti-Musk headlines from the group’s database:

It's time to stop Musk and cronyism from spending taxpayer money

Did Tesla Motors really know what it bought from SolarCity?

Will Elon Musk's SpaceX rocket land on Planet Trump?

Most of the articles in the database are critical of Musk. The organization "Citizens for a Republic" used its database to explain how "Elon Musk defrauded American taxpayers of $4.9 billion in the form of subsidies, allowances, and other perks." Of course, this is a false report, but the truth has never stopped the "rumormongers."

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.