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Elon Musk Came Crawling Back to Trump. JVL Explains Why.

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Cite

Last, J. V. (2026, October 12). Elon Musk Came Crawling Back to Trump. JVL Explains Why. The Bulwark. https://www.thebulwark.com/p/elon-musk-came-crawling-back-to-trump

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

The Bulwark · collected 2026-10-12 · by Jonathan V. Last commentary

Quick Summary

This article is an opinion piece where Sarah Longwell and JVL discuss Elon Musk's recent financial support for Republicans despite previous threats against them. They analyze Musk’s shift as a sign of billionaires aligning with former President Trump and critique the MAGA movement's smear campaign tactics, particularly targeting James Talarico. The authors also delve into the implications of Trump’s dealings with Putin, calling it an example of American weakness, while encouraging membership support for continued investigative journalism at Bulwark.
Written by AI on 2026-10-12, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Elon Musk, known for his criticism of former President Donald Trump, recently pledged hundreds of millions to support Republican candidates aligned with Trump, reversing a previous stance where he threatened to undermine these politicians. Jonathan V. Last and Sarah Longwell discuss this shift in an episode of The Bulwark's podcast "The Secret Podcast," noting Musk’s apparent capitulation to the former president. They also delve into other topics such as wealthy donors backing Trump, MAGA smear campaigns like one against James Talarico, and Trump's controversial approach towards Putin, highlighting perceived American weakness. The episode is part of a membership-only content package offered by The Bulwark, emphasizing the publication’s focus on exposing Republican narratives critical of Trump’s influence within the party.

Written for “Elon Musk And Trump” on 2026-11-02, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Elon Musk And Trump
Politics · 1 article(s) covering the same event.

Compared with similar articles

Nothing to compare against. No article is close enough to this one for the pipeline to have linked or judged the pair.
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
12
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
0%
0 of 12 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
Leans left
expected in commentary, which argues a position · beta estimate
Publisher signals
not measured
these signals count newsroom corrections; Commentary has none to count
Outlets on this story
1
Politics
Same framing elsewhere
5
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-12 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

The Bulwark · 573 article(s) · 0 correction(s) detected
No corrections detected for this publisher. That may mean careful reporting, or simply that nothing has been checked.

Who wrote this

Jonathan V. Last
37 article(s) here · 0 carrying a prediction
🔮 Are the polls right or wrong? Will Sarah ever read the Triad? And at the very end, we have the surprise you’ve been waiting for . . .
2026-10-30 · assertive framing · BURN MAGA TO THE GROUND
🔮 No reasonable person could be confused by the Dan Sullivans on the ballot.
2026-10-30 · assertive framing · Stop Whining. Just Win.
🔮 1. Christian Nationalism Someday the Lord will call Donald Trump home.
2026-10-29 · assertive framing · The Power of Trump Compels Them
🔮 Maybe we do!
2026-10-27 · assertive framing · Nationalize SpaceX
🔮 1. Forecasts We’re eight days out from Election Day.
2026-10-26 · assertive framing · Who’s Right? The Polls or the Vibes?
🔮 If you have questions for Tim, Sarah and JVL, send them to nextlevel@thebulwark.com and they may answer them on an upcoming episode of TNL.
2026-10-23 · assertive framing · The Worst Person in the World
🔮 1. Asymmetry Joe Manchin will be in Maine tomorrow campaigning for Susan Collins.
2026-10-20 · assertive framing · F*ck Joe Manchin
🔮 Trump could just move her over to the Shield of the Americas, because one of the fake jobs at that fake organization just opened up.
2026-10-16 · assertive framing · The Trump Administration Is Run on Kink
🔮 If you have questions for Tim, Sarah and JVL, send them to nextlevel@thebulwark.com and they may answer them on an upcoming episode of TNL.
2026-10-16 · assertive framing · So Many Bad Things
🔮 Texas might get a Democratic senator.
2026-10-07 · assertive framing · Susan Collins Is the Living Worst
Also by Jonathan V. Last
BURN MAGA TO THE GROUND
2026-10-30 · The Bulwark
Stop Whining. Just Win.
2026-10-30 · The Bulwark
The Power of Trump Compels Them
2026-10-29 · The Bulwark
Trump’s Safe Space for Strongmen
2026-10-28 · The Bulwark
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 37 articles by Jonathan V. Last →

Topics

American Bulwark JVL MAGA Republican

Subjects

JVL PERSON · 6× Trump PERSON · 6× Bulwark PERSON · 4× Elon Musk PERSON · 3× James Talarico PERSON · 2× Republican NORP · 2× Sarah PERSON · 2× Musk PERSON · 1× Putin PERSON · 1× Sarah Longwell PERSON · 1×

Narrative

Unlock this story—and everything from The Bulwark October Surprise: Save 30% on your first year of Bulwark+ - Never hit a Bulwark paywall again — get every article and newsletter, including JVL's Triad, The Focus Group, and Receipts. - Get more from the voices you follow — ad-free podcasts plus member-only shows like The Secret Podcast with Sarah Longwell and JVL. - Get closer to The Bulwark — member-only chats, comments, and early access to Bulwark LIVE tickets.
framing: assertive · carried by 5 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-09
2026-10-09 · The Bulwark
Derek Thompson and Adam Carlson: The Republicans' Strength Is Now Their Weakness · assertive framing
2026-10-11 · The Bulwark
Senator Who Served With JD Vance Explains Why He’ll Never Be President (w/ Sen. Schatz) · assertive framing
2026-10-12 · The Bulwark
Trump’s Sickening Russia Deal Has One Clear Winner: Vladimir Putin · assertive framing
2026-10-12 · The Bulwark
Elon Musk Came Crawling Back to Trump. JVL Explains Why. · assertive framing
2026-10-19 · The Bulwark
MAGA Mondays with Will Sommer and Sam Stein · assertive framing

Claims (12 extracted, 0 hedged)

Elon Musk Came Crawling Back to Trump. asserted
Musk → come → Trump
JVL Explains Why. asserted
JVL → explain → ?
Elon Musk threatened to destroy Trump’s Republican allies. asserted
Musk → threaten → allies
Elon Musk threatened to destroy Trump’s Republican allies. asserted
Musk → threaten → allies
Now he’s spending hundreds of millions to keep them in power. asserted
he → spend → power
Sarah Longwell and JVL discuss Musk’s humiliating surrender, the billionaires lining up behind Trump, the MAGA smear campaign against James Talarico, and why Trump’s desperate deal with Putin represents a stunning display of American weakness. asserted
deal → discuss → weakness
Plus, Sarah has some ideas about holding Trump’s wealthy enablers accountable, and JVL has some big news. asserted
JVL → have → news
A quick note: The Bulwark’s reporting has exposed the truth behind a vicious MAGA smear campaign against James Talarico. asserted
reporting → expose → Talarico
That kind of journalism takes real resources, which is why we rely on our members to keep doing it. asserted
we → take → it
And if you do want to join, you’re in luck—we’re running 30% sale right now! The Secret Podcast with JVL and Sarah is exclusively for members of Bulwark+. asserted
Podcast → want → Bulwark+
New shows drop each Friday. asserted
shows → drop → ?
Unlock this story—and everything from The Bulwark October Surprise: Save 30% on your first year of Bulwark+ - Never hit a Bulwark paywall again — get every article and newsletter, including JVL's Triad, The Focus Group, and Receipts. - Get more from the voices you follow — ad-free podcasts plus member-only shows like The Secret Podcast with Sarah Longwell and JVL. - Get closer to The Bulwark — member-only chats, comments, and early access to Bulwark LIVE tickets. asserted
you → unlock → tickets
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