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Whatever happened to Mike Lindell, a.k.a. Mr. MyPillow? Does anyone really care what happened to LIndell? He flew too close to Donald Trump, and like everyone else who did the same thing, he flamed out. And so did his business.
That’s what happens when you hitch your wagon to Trump. His “rich” history of bankruptcies brings you down like a sinking stock price.
There was a time when Lindell was just a quirky and ear-grating pillow salesman with an ever-present cross around his neck (he’s now selling replicas of those crosses) and a knack for those mind-numbing infomercials. The cross was Lindell showing off his love for Jesus. My grandmother used to say the biggest sinners are the ones who flaunt their religion..
Then came Trump, and Lindell turned from talking about pillows to engaging in pillow talk with him. Love was in the air. Suddenly Jesus was replaced by the deity that is Trump.
By 2016, Lindell had become more than a businessman. He was a sycophant with a pillowcase wrapped around his head,and a locket with Trump’s picture replacing the cross. He declared Trump as “the greatest president this country has ever seen” and that Trump was “chosen by God.”
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He also credits God with a dream he had about meeting Trump, which came true and changed Lindell’s life. I suppose God also led Lindell into financial ruin in the name of Trump, the anointed one.
Clearly, those MyPillows have divine powers; however, I shudder to think that Trump would be in my dream. Quite possibly, it would be the biggest nightmare I’ve ever had, and I’d surely blame Satan for that dream.
Anyway, back to Lindell. He also pushed conspiracy theories with such zeal he made Rudy Giuliani look like a demure election debunker.
In the waning days of Trump’s first term, Lindell wasn’t content with praise alone. He urged Trump to impose martial law to overturn the 2020 election results, even showing up to the White House with notes about using the Insurrection Act.
He became a fixture at Trump rallies, touted election lies, and launched a crusade so extreme that it torched his own empire. Major retailers dropped MyPillow. Sales cratered. By 2023, MyPillow was in deep financial trouble, and Lindell admitted in court that he couldn’t afford legal fees for his many defamation cases. The man who once claimed to be divinely appointed to save America wound up trying to sell slippers to stay afloat. And those gaudy crosses.
Now Elon Musk seems determined to follow the same path, only with more money and a lot less humility. Wait, did I just write that? In a contest of who has the least humility, Musk would surely win, but the lunatic Lindell would give him a run for his billions.
Musk’s spiral into MAGA madness has been simultaneously baffling and predictable. Once hailed as the prophet of clean energy and space exploration, Musk is now spending more time tweeting right-wing memes, sharing conspiracy theories, and fawning over Trump.
If Musk is as smart as he thinks he is, then wouldn’t he have seen the consequences suffered by many others of getting too close to Trump? And that anyone who has ever invested in Trump, including in the form of time and money, always comes out a loser?
In 2024, he dumped over a quarter of a billion dollars into Trump’s reelection campaign, making him the single largest donor to a campaign rooted in grievance, disinformation, and authoritarian nostalgia. And it didn’t stop there.
Last November, Musk was crowned — because he wasn’t nominated and approved by the Senate — head of the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency, otherwise known as the fearmongering DOGE.
Musk’s role was dreamed up by Trump as both a gag and a power move. Musk, grinning like a kid handed the keys to a shiny Cybertruck, declared he’d root out government waste. Instead, he posted videos firing career employees and then coldly and brazenly responding to fired workers posting about how their lives were ruined with laughing emojis.
Musk, who thinks he’s better than everyone else, and who has absolutely no heart or empathy. Have you ever heard of Musk giving away half his fortune to charity like Warren Buffett, Bill Gates, and others? Hell no!
By the way, if Buffett didn’t give away half his fortune, he’d be richer than Musk.
Not surprisingly the backlash to Musk’s actions and behavior on behalf of Trump came swiftly. Acts of vandalism against Teslas and Tesla Cybertrucks have surged across the country. In cities from Portland to Philadelphia, Teslas were keyed or spray-painted with slurs like “Nazi.” The brand that once symbolized the future now feels like a MAGA billboard on wheels.
And the numbers show it. This week revealed that Tesla’s first quarter was a bloodbath. Sales fell 9 percent. Profits plunged 71 percent. Tesla’s stock, already battered by Musk’s antics, took another nosedive. Once the king of the electric car revolution, Musk is now yet another warning about what happens when you wrap your arms around Trump: A metaphorical chain saw slices them off.
During a conference with analysts earlier this week, Musk groveled that he’ll be “spending more time with Tesla and less time with DOGE starting in May.” But the damage is done. You can’t just wipe off the stain of Trumpism. It’s like a dead and dried-up bug stubbornly stuck on a windshield. Just ask Mike Lindell.
And let’s not forget Trump’s bizarre attempt to boost Tesla via a shameless, and in my mind and others' illegal, sales pitch for Teslas and Cybertrucks on the South Lawn of the White House, The stunt turned Tesla into a partisan prop, alienating the very consumers who once idolized Musk for his innovation and daring.
People who buy EVs for the planet don’t tend to enjoy autocrats hawking them like limited-edition steaks, Bibles, or NFTs. I have a friend who had a Tesla. He said that when he saw what happened on the White House driveway, “I was never so happy about trading it in for a Chevy EV. GM is American. Tesla is a joke.”
Musk may believe he can pivot back to being a full-time CEO, but Tesla’s brand has suffered a reputational meltdown. Once synonymous with sleek design, sustainability, and ambition, it’s now saddled with the baggage of MAGA extremism and the whims of a man who put memes over manufacturing.
As I write this, I’ve been thinking about the Icarus myth. Icarus disregarded Daedalus’s warning to avoid flying near the sun. As he soared higher, the sun's heat melted the beeswax holding his wings together. Icarus's wings failed, and he tumbled from the sky, crashing into the sea, where he drowned.
In the case of Lindell and Musk, the Icarus myth is practically right on the nose. Both men flew too close to the flaming ego of Donald Trump. Lindell lost his business. Musk is on the same trajectory. The lesson is simple: Those who become servants to Trump’s vanity end up casualties of it.
Lindell went from pillows to punch lines. Musk might be a billionaire, but in the world of electric cars, he’s starting to look like a vandalized Tesla, a.k.a. damaged goods. MAGA and Trump soiled MyPillow, and now they're taking the charge out of Tesla..
Voices is dedicated to featuring a wide range of inspiring personal stories and impactful opinions from the LGBTQ+ and Allied community. Visit Advocate.com/submit to learn more about submission guidelines. We welcome your thoughts and feedback on any of our stories. Email us at voices@equalpride.com. Views expressed in Voices stories are those of the guest writers, columnists and editors, and do not directly represent the views of The Advocate or our parent company, equalpride.
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