One Big Beautiful Tussle

Written By Thann Bennett

What may have been the world’s most powerful partnership is now on the skids. U.S. President Donald Trump and the world’s richest man Elon Musk are feuding just days after Musk stepped away from serving as one of President Trump’s closest (albeit informal) advisors and the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The fallout stems from Musk’s unfavorable view of Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill, which is currently being considered in the U.S. Senate. The tussle quickly turned personal with each man attacking the other on social media.

Analysis and eternal perspective: Palace intrigue. Yet again, the vast majority of ink spilled—or airwaves filled—on this story will be about the relationship between Trump and Musk that fractured in full public view. There is little utility—and in fact the risk of great harm—for us in that portion of the story.

You and I are called to, whenever it is possible, “live at peace with everyone” (Rom. 12:18). We are also instructed to bring the mind of Christ to bear in every situation (1 Cor. 2:16).

These two instructions alone should be enough to recenter our focus, and they are plenty challenging to carry out. For example, the One Big Beautiful Bill at the epicenter of the feud contains trillions of dollars of spending and changes to the U.S. tax code. Every one of us would find some cause to rejoice over, and other reasons to object to, various provisions in the bill. How can we bring the mind of Christ to bear in that debate? How can we view it through the lens of the True and the beautiful? Most important, how can we interact with it in a way that channels the True and the beautiful?

It starts by minimizing the noise of the palace intrigue around you and maximizing the presence of the Almighty. Let His still, small voice resonate clearly within you, and let it have influence over your posture and your engagement to the exclusion of all else!

The following article originally appeared in Thann’s “The Equipped” Weekly Newsletter. For more information on Thann’s weekly email, click here.

Thann Bennett

Thann Bennett is the Founder and President of Every Good Work, which exists to equip Jesus followers for a life of impact. His weekly newsletter, The Equipped, helps Jesus followers engage current events through a lens of the True and the beautiful. Thann and his wife, Brooke, are co-Founders of A Fearless Life, which works to find and fund a family for every adoption-eligible foster child in America. Thann has more than two decades of high-level public policy experience, with a particular focus on the U.S. Congress and the United Nations. He is the author of In Search of the King and My Fame His Fame. Thann and Brooke live in southern Maryland with their three children: Jude, Gambrell, and Hope, as well as a host of farm animals. The Bennetts are longtime members of the National Community Church family in Washington, D.C.

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