Brian Barrett: Our best and brightest.
Leah Weiger: Yes. And so I say, no, no, no, obviously it’s not just about technology. It’s about specifically showcasing Trump’s allies and being able to position himself in front of a country and a leader he hasn’t spent a lot of time with recently.
Zoe Schiffer: Since we are still talking about who he will go to China with, what do we know about why Jensen Huang was left off the list and then re-added at the last minute? Because when I saw it, it had to do with export controls and they thought having him on the flight would be kind of weird and complicated. But it’s clear that he’s now on the journey.
Leah Weiger: So someone I can’t name said to me, “Oh, I think the president might have just forgotten it,” and I laughed at him.
Zoe Schiffer: Oh, did you remember Brett Ratner and forgot?
Leah Weiger: No, I was like, “That’s not true.” It’s not so true that I was like, “I’m sorry, do you expect me to enjoy this now?”
Zoe Schiffer: I definitely think Trump has forgotten about this guy, but I say, “Trump has other people around him.”
Leah Weiger: This team has not forgotten this man.
Zoe Schiffer: Yes please.
Leah Weiger: No, there is no road on earth. I was like, “Ah. Yes, yes, yes. Keep moving.” Obviously guys, we have to talk about musk in everything. I know Elon has been making appearances again at a variety of events at the White House or events adjacent to the White House, but this feels like a big moment for him to be on the international stage again alongside Trump.
Zoe SchifferDid you know that Elon Musk’s mother looks like a celebrity in China?
Brian Barrett: May Mask, international supermodel May Mask.
Leah Weiger: Wait, new information. Say more.
Zoe Schiffer: People are obsessed with her over there.
Leah Weiger: What?
Zoe Schiffer: Just a fun little fact.
Brian Barrett: I want to take a moment too so that I don’t get away from May Mask. We could talk and talk about My Mask all day long. About a year ago, when the Pentagon commissioned Musk to give a war briefing on what would happen if the United States went to war. Do we remember this?
Leah Weiger: I do.
Zoe Schiffer: Oh my God, I completely forgot about this. Yes.
Brian Barrett: The Pentagon invited Musk to check what his war plans would be if we went to fight China over Taiwan, and that was apparently thwarted before his departure. This was a New York Times report, but it’s about how far we’ve come and how far we haven’t come. I don’t know. If I were China, I don’t think I’d want to see Musk anywhere near that alliance. And if I were Musk, I feel great about the level of influence I have now. One more time, and then maybe I’ll have a chance to look at those war plans again. Maybe I could talk to Pete Hegseth.
