Why did Musk give up so quickly?

While the entire internet was waiting to see how Musk would use the "Epstein List" to nail Trump to the shame pole, the fearless "Iron Man" suddenly underwent a sudden change in style.

On June 11th local time, Musk wrote in the most timid tone on his original Twitter account on X platform, "I regret some of the comments I made about President Trump last week. The content was too much." This short sentence instantly turned the originally tense "Trump War" into an annual comedy reversal.

And Trump quickly responded on the same day, saying, 'I think he did a great job doing this.'. The implied meaning is also very clear: speaking is speaking, arguing is arguing, as long as we know our mistakes and can change them, we are still good friends.

The media exploded in an instant: Was Musk enchanted by Trump? The front foot is still making tough statements about forming a third party, while the back foot kneels down and apologizes. This operation is even more exciting than the fall of a Starlink satellite! For those who don't mind watching the excitement, Musk's precise evaluation of Trump in 2016 was dug up: "A world champion level braggart" and "If you see him as a fraud performing, his behavior makes sense." Now, it seems like a large-scale "real fragrance" scene.

Musk's recent setback is essentially a serious misjudgment of the political game rules by a tech tycoon. He thought that with his wealth and influence, he could easily stir up the American political arena like launching a rocket, but he didn't expect himself to be just a pawn on Trump's chessboard.

Musk accuses Trump of being on Epstein's list, which may seem like a "precise correction", but in reality, he is lifting a stone and hitting himself in the foot.

Trump threatened to cancel Tesla's electric vehicle subsidies, so on June 5th local time, Tesla's stock price plummeted by 14%, and its market value evaporated by $150 billion overnight. This is not a simple market fluctuation, but the result of investors voting with their feet. This is a disaster for Tesla, which relies on government policies.

What's even more alarming is that Trump has hinted at adjusting the NASA contract with SpaceX, which could mean SpaceX's billions of dollars in annual orders could come to nothing.

The capital market's response to this was the most direct: on June 11th, Tesla's stock price rose slightly by 0.1% after Musk's apology, indicating that investors value Musk's reconciliation with Trump more than his political ideals. After all, in business, no one is willing to pay for Musk's political adventures.

SpaceX's Starlink project appears to have unlimited potential, but in reality, it heavily relies on the support of the US government. The US military is Starlink's largest customer, contributing billions of dollars in revenue annually. Once Trump cuts off this funding, Starlink's global expansion plan will come to a sudden halt. However, countries such as Italy and Canada have suspended their cooperation with Starlink due to Musk's political remarks, which has added insult to injury to Musk's business empire.

It has to be said that in this game, Trump has demonstrated his shrewd political skills. He was well aware of Musk's weaknesses and used the most direct way to make him yield.

Trump's counterattack is textbook level.

It can be said that after this battle, Musk finally realized his immaturity on the political stage. His cowardice is not weakness, but a tangible survival strategy: the transition from "Iron Man" to "Kneeling Lick Man" is Musk's political awakening.

Between commercial interests and political ideals, Musk chose the former. He is well aware that Tesla and SpaceX, without government support, will be worthless. As he said when forced to apologize for his remarks on the Israeli Palestinian conflict in 2022, "Sometimes, you have to bow down to reality." This time seems no exception.

Musk's' admission of cowardice 'also reflects the essence of US political business relations: entrepreneurs are always subservient to power. As political scientist Larry Sabato once said, "Musk is not challenging the system, but seeking survival space within it

After this incident, Musk may handle his relationships with politicians more cautiously. He may continue to make comments on the X platform, but will avoid touching on sensitive topics. More importantly, he may adjust his business strategy to reduce reliance on government contracts, such as accelerating the commercialization process of Starlink.

However, regardless, Musk has transformed from a 'political player' to a 'political survivor'. His story tells us that wealth does not compete with officials. In the face of power, even if you are Iron Man, you must learn to bow down.