No. of Recommendations: 4
I'm not convinced he cares about anything, including that. What "political consequences"? Assuming our republic is still intact in four years, he's done.
There are certainly policy things he cares about. He genuinely wants to change our immigration policy. He genuinely wants to re-orient our economy to a more mercantilist orientation. He also cares very much about what people think about him and his legacy - he's a narcissist with a massive ego (like nearly everyone else who ascends to high power in politics), and doesn't want anything to cause friction in getting his "cement my place in history" stuff done.
He very much knows where his power comes from. It doesn't come from cutting government spending - it comes from his base supporters being rabid for him. Veterans going without health care due to Musk's chainsaw doesn't help with that, and it doesn't gain him anything he wants.
