Trump's 'favorite poem' used against him by conservative writer

Conservative writer Charlie Sykes reminded Donald Trump about the "favorite poem" he kept quoting during his first campaign, and how its relevance was undeniable in the midst of the president's current feud with former "buddy" Elon Musk.

In a new piece on Substack, Sykes wrote that "The Snake," by civil rights activist Oscar Brown Jr., "seems relevant today."

According to The Independent, "'The Snake' tells the story of a woman who takes in a frozen snake she discovers on her way to work. After reviving the creature, it retaliates, giving the woman a 'vicious bite' and killing her." The moral of the story? Even though the woman showed the snake kindness, it remained a snake with a natural instinct to bite.

Trump had a history of repeating the poem at his rallies "to demonize immigrants," according to the outlet, reciting it again in Las Vegas last September when he changed the ending for effect to, "You knew damn well I was a snake before you took me in!”

Brown's daughters sent Trump several cease-and-desist letters during the his first presidential campaign, accusing him of misrepresenting their father's message, saying, "The elephant in the room is that Trump is the living embodiment of the snake that my father wrote about in that song."

Which brings us back to Sykes's point: it has always been in Trump's nature to bite.

"It’s always possible that the two will kiss and make up," Sykes wrote of Trump and Musk. "Trump has a long history of taking enemies back into the fold. He also has a long history of scorched earth vengeance, and red lines were definitely crossed Thursday."

To recap, Trump threatened to "terminate Elon’s Governmental Subsidies and Contracts" after Musk criticized his spending bill as "abominable" and accused the president of lying to him about it. A whole host of threats followed until Trump on Friday said he "wasn't even thinking" about Musk anymore.

Sykes then examined the "obvious questions" left in the wake of the battle for the minds of MAGA.

"Will MAGA choose Trump or Musk?" Sykes asked and answered: "Spoiler: Trump."

"Will Trump follow through on his threats to cut Elon's contracts? (Probably.)"

And finally, "Are we five minutes away from Trump ordering the DOJ to launch a criminal investigation into Musk? (Likely.)"

Read Charlie Sykes's Substack here.