The car company’s big business in regulatory credits shows Musk’s mantra has always been “Government handouts for me, not for thee.”

Musk’s narrative shifts from embattled billionaire to persecuted visionary, galvanizing his base and amplifying his influence. Liberals who despise his Twitter reign or his labor record might relish a symbolic middle finger, but they’re handing him a megaphone and the mantle of wronged victim instead.