A monstrously rich foreigner spending American taxpayers’ money without their consent.
Pundits say Elon Musk is without precedent in American history.
They’re wrong.
There was one other guy who fit Elon’s description. And it ended terribly for him.
It might seem petty of me to bring this up. But I have some very bad news for Elon Musk…
Fans of the musical Hamilton will no doubt recall the maligned monarch, King George III of Great Britain.
George and Elon check many of the same boxes.
Foreigner? Check.
Wealthy? Check.
Gaping lack of self-awareness? Check.
Of course, there are differences between the two men. George wore a wig, while Elon had hair transplant surgery. But that minor distinction shouldn’t obscure their most significant—and disastrous—shared trait: like King George, Elon fails to understand the limits of his own power.
As a monarch, George believed that his right to rule derived from God. As a tech bro, Elon believes that he is God.
Of course, there are differences between the two men. George wore a wig, while Elon had hair transplant surgery.
Elon’s overreach could prove as personally catastrophic as George’s was. Perhaps Elon should crack a history book—or at least ask ChatGPT—and learn where his royal role model went wrong.
In 1765, King George gave royal assent to the Stamp Act, imposing a tax on printed materials in the American colonies, including documents, magazines, and even playing cards. Much like Musk’s teenage DOGE henchmen, George’s government ministers didn’t bother to ask American taxpayers how they felt about this arrangement.
They soon let George know. They expressed their fury with the catchy slogan “no taxation without representation,” which became a rallying cry in protests across the colonies, and later inspired a memorable installment of Schoolhouse Rock. But, much like Elon refusing to admit that the Cybertruck was a shitty idea, George kept on taxing.
As a monarch, George believed that his right to rule derived from God. As a tech bro, Elon believes that he is God.
His government imposed new levies on the colonists with the much-loathed Townsend Acts of 1766 and 1767, igniting more protests. By the time George gave royal assent to the Tea Act in 1773—a scheme intended to enrich the tea broligarchs at the East India Company—Americans were sick and tired of foreign interference. Their anger led to the Boston Tea Party, the American Revolution, and, ultimately, George’s loss of all 13 American colonies.
How might history repeat itself?
Mass protests, general strikes, and even tax revolts could be in the cards if DOGE’s vandalism causes the kind of financial pain that economists—and even Elon himself—have predicted.
And speaking of financial pain, Elon’s already feeling it. His meddling in the U.S. government—as well as in the politics of Germany and the U.K.—has contributed to Tesla sales tanking around the world. If Tesla goes belly up, Elon’s empire in America might soon go the way of George’s.
One final historical footnote. I seem to remember a political movement called the Tea Party that emerged a couple of decades ago. They angrily protested when a Black guy who they claimed was born in Africa was spending their tax dollars. But they have been strangely silent now that a white guy who was definitely born in Africa is doing it.
Come on, Tea Party—make some noise!
Andy Borowitz is the creator of the award-winning news-satire site the Borowitz Report, which has readers in 175 countries
