In an opinion piece examining parallels between Donald Trump and Elon Musk, commentator Robert Reich noted that Musk has described empathy as a flaw in Western societies, arguing that such broad compassion is only sustainable when a society is strong. Reich used the remark to illustrate what he portrayed as a shared lack of empathy between the two figures, pointing to their transactional view of relationships and aggressive responses to critics. The column also detailed Musk’s record of zero taxes in 2018, his quarter-billion-dollar political spending, and his online posts about race and immigration. The statement matters because Reich presents it as emblematic of a worldview he argues both men hold.