Targeted warnings delivered: a message for Trump and Musk?

During his first term as President, Donald Trump faced harsh criticism from Republican and Democratic hawks alike when he decided to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan and Syria. While Trump partially pulled out troops from Syria, it was later revealed that he had been misled about the actual number of soldiers left behind.

The bipartisan hawks opposing the withdrawal were also seen as representing the interests of major defense companies benefiting from increased military spending. At the time, Defense Secretary James Mattis presented arguments to Trump against the pullout. When Trump rejected these arguments, Mattis promptly resigned.

Mattis, a veteran of the Gulf War, Afghanistan, and Iraq, had previously served as the commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM). After retiring, he joined the board of General Dynamics, one of the largest defense contractors in the U.S., before being nominated by Trump as Secretary of Defense.

Lloyd Austin, Biden's Defense Secretary, followed a similar career trajectory. After retiring from CENTCOM, he joined the board of another major defense contractor, Raytheon, and was later nominated to lead the Pentagon.

It is widely known that CENTCOM opposed the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria. CENTCOM also closely collaborates with Israel, a fact no longer a secret. Just five days before Joe Biden took office on January 20, 2021, Israel was moved from the U.S. European Command (EUCOM) to CENTCOM’s area of responsibility—a shift by the Pentagon that now seems even more significant in hindsight.

Fast-forward to today: Trump is set to return to the White House on January 20 and continues to insist that the U.S. has no business in Syria. He has also promised to end the Russia-Ukraine war. However, bipartisan hawks strongly oppose both moves—Trump’s plans to withdraw from Syria and to push Ukraine into a deal with Russia.

Will Trump, buoyed by victories in the Electoral College, the popular vote, and both chambers of Congress, muster the will to overcome these hawks?

Another intriguing development involves Elon Musk. Trump has appointed Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy as co-chairs of a newly established Department of Government Efficiency. Musk has emerged as one of Trump’s closest and most influential advisors, with the duo pledging to cut $2 trillion from the federal budget, including reductions in defense spending.

This stance has rattled the hawks, who have long championed increased military spending. Musk and Ramaswamy argue for stricter oversight of Pentagon expenditures, targeting programs like fighter jet development. Musk, in a provocative post on X (formerly Twitter), shared a video of China’s drone fleet, remarking, “Meanwhile, some fools are still building manned fighter jets like the F-35.” For Musk, manned fighter jets are obsolete in the era of drones—a statement sure to hit a nerve with defense hawks.

With just 15 days left before Trump’s inauguration, tensions are escalating. On January 1, a truck attack in New Orleans claimed 15 lives. The vehicle bore symbols associated with ISIS. On the same day, a Tesla Cybertruck exploded outside Trump Hotel in Las Vegas. The deceased driver was a decorated soldier stationed at a U.S. military base in Germany. Intriguingly, both vehicles were rented through the same app.

The symbolism is hard to ignore: Trump Hotel and Musk’s Tesla Cybertruck, both clear targets. Are these attacks sending a warning? If so, who is behind them? It seems likely the message comes from those most disturbed by Trump and Musk’s unconventional moves. Could these be “preventative strikes” to deter them? And when it comes to withdrawing U.S. troops from Syria, the answer may lie in examining who stands to lose the most.