CNN’s Jim Acosta delivered a pointed critique of the unexpected camaraderie between President-elect Donald Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk after a video surfaced of the two casually dancing to “YMCA” during a Thanksgiving celebration at Mar-a-Lago. The footage showed Trump and Musk seated at a roped-off table, surrounded by Trump family members and high-profile guests like actor and director Sylvester Stallone. As the Village People classic played, Musk animatedly spelled out the song’s title with his arms, while Trump tapped the table in rhythm.
While the playful interaction drew cheers from attendees, Acosta took a less favorable view during CNN’s coverage, offering sharp commentary on the moment. “If you haven’t seen this video yet of Elon Musk getting chummy with Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago for Thanksgiving, as they were apparently dancing in their chairs to ‘Y.M.C.A.,’” Acosta began. “There’s Elon Musk right next to him in his sweater,” Acosta continued. “This does raise a lot of questions about what Elon Musk’s role will be in this incoming administration. I mean, just this week, he’s been targeting federal employees on X. He has been going after people like Colonel Alexander Vindman, accusing him of treason the other day on X. And he’s been given this very big platform. It’s all really creepy. He’s literally taking on the role of a favorite son, first lady and shadow president. This is scary stuff!”
WATCH:
The video of @elonmusk having a blast on Thanksgiving with Trump has triggered CNN.
“It’s all really creepy. He’s literally taking on the role of a favorite son, first lady and shadow president. This is scary stuff!”
??? pic.twitter.com/f3wL3vHcM7
— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) November 29, 2024
Vindman, who was a serving U.S. Army officer at the time, made a whistleblower claim against Trump, his commander-in-chief, during Trump’s first term regarding a phone call the then-president had with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Vindman accused Trump of attempting to strike a “quid pro quo” agreement with the Ukrainian leader, trading hundreds of millions in aid for a promise to investigate Joe Biden and Hunter Biden’s involvement in a Ukrainian energy company. Several experts called that treasonous behavior.
That said, On Wednesday, Vindman made a bonkers claim that Musk disclosed state secrets to Russian President Vladimir Putin — the same kind of fake “Russian collusion” claim Trump and those in his orbit have endured since 2016 — and added that Musk’s support for Trump is due to directives from Putin. “Clearly, Putin has a type,” said Vindman. “He likes narcissists and egomaniacs that he knows as a case officer he could easily pander to and manipulate to do his dirty work. We are under attack. Russia has been using different levers, whether that’s corruption networks – in this case, it’s influencers like Donald Trump, like Elon Musk – to really kind of sow discord.”
“It’s particularly troubling with Elon Musk in this case, because Elon Musk has access to state secrets. He has top-secret security clearance,” Vindman alleged. “It’s possible that some of that is seeping through. Putin has been very effective in playing both Trump and Elon. And he’s been using the richest man in the world to do his bidding.” Musk responded publicly on X, saying, “Vindman is on the payroll of Ukrainian oligarchs and has committed treason against the United States, for which he will pay the appropriate penalty.”
WATCH:
Alexander Vindman has accused Elon Musk of divulging state secrets to Vladimir Putin, and that the real reason he supports Trump is because Putin ordered him to do so. pic.twitter.com/WAFjL3RKue
— Catch Up (@CatchUpFeed) November 27, 2024
