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CNN
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During the Army-Navy football game over the weekend, Elon Musk posted a photo of the giant screen above the field that showed four faces in sharp focus. President-elect Donald Trump, Vice President-elect JD Vance and Musk look into the camera. In the background, House Speaker Mike Johnson looked down.

The symbolism of such an image – and Musk’s publication – is hard to miss. Musk is right behind Trump and Vance, more prominent than the speaker (who is third in line to the presidency).

A few days later, Musk would perhaps use his newfound political power most effectively by helping to torpedo a budget proposal presented by Johnson with bipartisan support to fund the government and prevent a shutdown as early as Friday evening.

While some conservatives were skeptical of the ongoing resolution even before its official release, Musk and his co-chief government efficiency officer Vivek Ramaswamy suddenly began circulating the bill online on Wednesday, enraging their tens of millions of supporters with contributions, Its content sparked outrage.

“This bill should not pass,” Musk wrote on X at 4:15 a.m. ET, sparking a flood of posts about the legislation. It was only a matter of time before the bill failed.

But Musk’s unprecedented online influence appeared to completely torpedo the spending bill in a way that no Republican lawmaker could have done from Capitol Hill.

Anyone who knows anything about Washington knows that such massive spending bills are often peppered with surcharges in addition to the spending necessary to keep the government open. Punchbowl called it “crowded,” while others compared it to a “Christmas tree” full of ornaments. But Musk has always prided himself on doing things differently, ignoring the rules (written or not) and breaking the mold – for better or worse. In more than 100 posts

Musk also used his platform to push for a government shutdown, arguing that it would not impact “critical functions.” While this is partly true, shutdowns are costing the economy billions of dollars. And there are millions of federal employees who would not receive pay while the government is closed for the holidays.

Since Musk emerged at Trump’s side, memes about a “President Musk” have been circulating online, and angry Democrats have begun to question whether Musk is a “shadow president.”

“It is clear who is in charge, and it is not President-elect Donald Trump,” wrote Democratic Rep. Pramila Jayapal. “Shadow President Elon Musk railed against the Republicans’ CR all day, he managed to defeat the bill, and then Trump decided to follow his example.”

Sen. Bernie Sanders, the independent from Vermont, echoed her sentiments.

“Democrats and Republicans have spent months negotiating a bipartisan deal to fund our government. The richest man in the world, President Elon Musk, doesn’t like it.”

Musk, the tech billionaire who has never been elected to office, has said that it is not Republicans who give him power, but the “people.”

“All I can do is make people aware so they can express their support if they wish,” Musk wrote on X on Wednesday.

But now some Republicans are proposing to make Musk’s power official and go beyond his self-proclaimed title of “First Buddy.”

“The Speaker of the House does not have to be a member of Congress,” Sen. Rand Paul wrote on . nothing is impossible. (not to mention the joy of watching the collective establishment aka “one-party” lose its much-loved mind).”

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene agreed, writing that she was “open to supporting Musk for speaker.”

“The only way DOGE can truly be achieved is through governing Congress to achieve true government efficiency. “The establishment needs to be smashed just like it was yesterday,” she wrote on X. “This might be the way to go.”

There is no indication that Musk is seriously proposing to become Speaker of the House of Representatives, given his numerous business dealings that require his attention. (Plus, taking on this role would take time away from his ultimate life goal: colonizing Mars.)

Musk’s first real attempt to influence major legislation now appears to be a harbinger of what’s to come – a prospect that is either frightening or exhilarating for people in Washington.