Elon Musk’s influence over the US government sparks controversy

Elon Musk’s increasing influence over the United States government has had immediate drastic consequences for the state of Federal Agencies and the American people. His rise to political power is rooted in a history of donations to the democratic and republican party, that ceased (supposed) impartiality in 2020, the last time he donated to a democratic candidate. Musk’s relationship with politics prior to his endorsement of Trump is a far cry from the right-wing rhetoric he has perpetuated in the last year. His political leanings can be marked on his social media, where he posted pictures with Obama early on in his career and tweeted in support of LGBTQIA+ people, insisting that “people should be free to live their lives where their heart takes them”. His early online presence identifies Musk as more so socially liberal and fiscally conservative, despite insisting in a 2015 Vanity Fair interview that he “gets involved in politics as little as possible”. This narrative was not uncommon in Silicon Valley tech types at the time who could usually be found to be concerned with the climate and social liberalism. In the same year, he stated that if Trump succeeded in achieving a republican nomination it would be “embarrassing”, later reinforcing this sentiment when he suggested Trump should not run for re-election in 2022.

It wasn’t until the end of 2022 when Musk acquired X and reinstated Trump’s previously banned account, that indication of their potential partnership was provided

In 2017, however, Musk became more directly involved with politics when he accepted a position on Trump’s White House business council, quickly defending his decision as an opportunity to raise the issue of the climate crisis, along with challenging Trump’s implementation of travel bans that would primarily affect Muslim majority nations. However, he stepped down from the councils in June of that year, citing his reason as an objection to Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement. So, whilst his association with Trump has stemmed back to the president’s first term, they clearly opposed each other politically, with Musk’s internet presence suggesting that he was quick to deny alignment with Trump. It wasn’t until the end of 2022 when Musk acquired X and reinstated Trump’s previously banned account, that indication of their potential partnership was provided.

It was at this point that Musk began to show support for Trump’s return to leadership and became vocal about Trump’s presence in government. He publicly and strongly perpetuated Trump’s own narrative that the president’s felony conviction was unjustified and politically motivated, then later, along with other right-wing online presences, was vocal in his support in the wake of an assassination attempt made on Trump. The widely circulated image of Trump with his fist raised after being shot was used by Musk amongst others to draw a comparison between Biden and Trump and bolster an image of him as a strong and competent leader.

Shortly after this on July 13, Musk officially endorsed Trump. This followed a $5 million endorsement to America PAC, a political super organisation Musk started with the backing of other big names in tech, to encourage people to vote and more specifically back Trump’s presidential campaign. Musk would go on to donate a total of $277 million to the Super Pac and spend the election cycle holding rallies for Trump in swing-state Pennsylvania, often donning a black “Make America Great Again” cap and even dubbing himself “Dark Maga”.

The same month he officially endorsed Donald Trump, Musk suggested to Trump on X the idea of a task force to increase government efficiency and cut federal agencies’ budgets, putting himself forward as the prospective leader. Almost immediately after his inauguration, The Department of Government Efficiency (or DOGE, aptly aligning with the meme and cryptocurrency) was created by Trump’s executive order to radically and hastily reform the government and slash federal spending for several key agencies. Also in November, Musk was announced to co-lead the department with Vivek Ramaswamy, an American politician and pharmaceutical company founder, but within days it was announced he would be leaving the department to pursue alternative business ventures. The department’s mission statement was to analyse federal contacts and cut expenditures on foreign aid and DEI schemes, and immediate repercussions have been felt worldwide as a consequence.

So what has Musk’s task force accomplished? Reports of DOGE employees in various government buildings have been flooding in over the last month, along with accounts of offers made to buy out federal employees who were given a deadline to accept an offer to be paid through September of 2025. One of DOGE’s main targets is the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, an institution which was introduced under Obama in 2011 and has long been criticised by Republicans, that in the wake of DOGE’s crackdowns has advised employees in the Washington office to work from home for at least a week. Furthermore, hundreds of millions have already been cut from the Department of Education’s research office, and DOGE announced contracts have been terminated.

So far Musk’s initial actions have not succeeded in evading legal repercussions, despite how untouchable he might assert himself to be

One of the most worrying concerns raised by the department’s interference has been for the integrity of Medicare and Medicaid, a federal health insurance service relied upon by 160 million Americans. Despite Trump’s pledges that they will not be dismantled, DOGE recently gained access to their systems. Many Democrats have expressed fear at the potential involvement of DOGE in critical public services that primarily aid elderly, disabled, and low-income people, in response to Musk’s tweet that “big money fraud is happening”. Democratic senators have, however, responded immediately, penning an open letter to Trump on February 13, insisting that “Medicare and Medicaid must not be raided to pay for tax cuts for billionaires”, and naming Musk as the perpetrator of the threats to American health care services as they “strongly oppose efforts by Musk – or anyone else in your administration – cutting or damaging these vital programmes.”

So far Musk’s initial actions have not succeeded in evading legal repercussions, despite how untouchable he might assert himself to be. As of February 14, legal consequences were levied at DOGE. A federal judge ordered the Trump Administration to temporarily lift the funding freeze on USAid that has had immediate ramifications in nations such as South Africa where sexual health clinics have been shut down, leaving many with no access to essential services such as HIV testing. Judge Amir Ali gave the government five days to show they were complying. Earlier in the week on February 8, federal judge Paul Engelmayer issued a more damaging ruling, in the form of a preliminary injunction that restricts DOGE’s access to American financial data held in treasury department records. In response Musk immediately called for his removal, stating on X in a very ‘Trump-like’ fashion, “A corrupt judge protecting corruption […] He needs to be impeached NOW”.

Following the public and political outcry at DOGE’s actions and their consequences, Trump held a press conference in the Oval Office on Tuesday 11, which Musk attended. As the President sat at his desk, he allowed Musk, who stood with his young son to his right, to take the lead on answering questions. Donning a ‘Tech Support’ t-shirt and a black MAGA hat, Musk stated that “the people voted for reform and that’s what the people are going to get”. In response to one journalist who probed Musk on whether he could benefit financially from these cuts to government spending, he asserted that all of his decisions are transparent and laid out on DOGE’s X account, insisting that “You can see whether I’m doing something that’s benefitting one of my companies or not” – “It’s totally obvious”.

Nevertheless, the Trump administration’s plans for federal cuts don’t seem to be slowing down, with the president suggesting, “let’s check the military” because there has likely been “hundreds of billions of dollars of fraud and abuse”. US defence secretary and former Fox News host Pete Hegseth claims to welcome the scrutiny, though it seems unlikely we can expect such drastic consequences that other agencies have faced as Musk seems to be targeting agencies established or introduced under Democrat Presidencies.