(Trump photo by Mandel G Ngan for AFP: Vance by Gage Skidmore)
Tara Setmayer, a senior advisor for the anti-Trump group The Lincoln Project, made bold claims during a recent appearance on MSNBC, saying that Donald Trump, his pick for GOP vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance, and X (formerly Twitter) owner Elon Musk all have “daddy issues and mommy issues” that are being taken out on the American public. report from Raw Story.
Setmayer, a former Republican congressional staffer, has been vocal in her opposition to Trump and his brand of politics since joining The Lincoln Project, a conservative collective formed in 2019 with the aim to defeat Trump and “ensure Trumpism failed alongside him.” During the interview, she offered scathing commentary on how the trio’s personal issues are influencing their political and business decisions, which she believes are damaging to democracy.
The discussion on MSNBC, hosted by Ayman Mohyeldin, centered around the growing concern among Republicans about tech companies’ involvement in politics. Mohyeldin pointed out the shift in how the GOP, once worried about tech companies influencing elections, now seems comfortable with Musk’s open support for Trump.
“This is how faith in democracy and free and fair elections and the free flow of information is tainted,” Setmayer remarked. She stressed that Musk, as the owner of a major social media platform, holds significant influence over public discourse. “Because [Musk] has such influence,” she added, his actions can impact the integrity of elections and the free exchange of information, further fueling concerns about tech giants’ sway over politics.
Setmayer then turned to the personal issues she believes are driving Trump, Musk, and Vance’s political decisions. “You have Elon Musk who has daddy issues and mommy issues. His mother is a conspiracy theory kook, also,” she claimed, taking aim at Musk’s family dynamics. She didn’t hold back on Trump or Vance either, adding, “You have Trump with daddy issues and J.D. Vance with mommy issues.”
In her pointed critique, Setmayer suggested that their unresolved personal traumas were playing out on the national stage, with the American people caught in the crossfire. “They need to have a group therapy session and work it all out, and stop holding the rest of us hostage because they haven’t worked out their childhood traumas,” she stated, making a case that the personal histories of these influential figures are affecting their decision-making and, by extension, the direction of the country.
Setmayer’s remarks reflect a broader frustration within anti-Trump circles about the influence of tech moguls like Musk, as well as concerns about how personal motivations can drive political behavior. Her suggestion that Trump, Vance, and Musk are letting unresolved family issues shape their leadership adds a psychological lens to the ongoing debate over the role of personal character in public service.
