Billionaire Elon Musk was mocked after raging against "unelected bureaucrats" during a rant in the Oval Office—apparently oblivious to the fact that he was perfectly describing himself.
Musk, appearing alongside President Donald Trump in the Oval Office on Tuesday, defended his so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from accusations that the federal cost-cutting initiative amounts to a "hostile takeover" of the government.
He provided no evidence to support his broad claims that the federal bureaucracy had been infiltrated by dishonest officials who authorized funds for “fraudsters.”
Musk laughed when a reporter asked him about these remarks from his "detractors," responding:
"First of all, you couldn't ask for a stronger mandate from the public. ... The people voted for major government reform and that’s what the people are going to get. They're going to get what they voted for."
You can hear what he said in the video below.
Asked to respond to people who say he's orchestrating a hostile takeover of government, Elon Musk lies that "a majority of the public voted for President Trump"
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— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) February 11, 2025 at 4:32 PM
But he seemed utterly clueless on the subject of "unelected bureaucrats" considering that by any measure, that's exactly what he is:
"If the bureaucracy is in charge, then what meaning does democracy actually have? If the people cannot vote, and have their will be decided by their elected representatives, in the form of the president and the Senate and the House, then we don't live in a democracy, we live in a bureaucracy."
"So, it's incredibly important that we close that feedback loop, we fix that feedback loop, and that the public's elected representatives, the president, the house, and the senate, decide what happens, as opposed to a large, unelected bureaucracy. This is not to say that there aren't some good..."
"There are good people who are in the federal bureaucracy, but you can't have an autonomous federal bureaucracy. You have to have one that is responsive to the people. That's the whole point of a democracy."
Oh, ya think??
You can hear what he said in the video below.
Irony is dead because Musk is an "unelected bureaucrat" himself who hasn't been "responsive to the people" at all.
Musk has gone to great lengths to obscure the operations of DOGE, including his own role in the project. As a "special government employee," Musk's financial disclosure will not be made public, according to the White House.
The DOGE team is estimated to include around 40 members, though the exact number remains unclear. Staffers have actively sought to maintain their anonymity, reportedly refusing to provide their last names to career officials at the agencies where they were assigned.
Musk has also taken steps to prevent DOGE staffers from being identified. When the Wall Street Journal revealed that one 25-year-old staffer, Marko Elez, had made racist posts from an anonymous X account in recent months, Musk demanded the reporter responsible for the story be fired.
While DOGE is technically under the oversight of White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Musk has wielded near-unchecked power in his sweeping efforts to reshape the federal government. Some of his actions have even reportedly taken the White House by surprise, according to a source familiar with the matter.
Musk was swiftly called out for his oblivious self-own.
The majority of the public did not know that Elon was going to be raiding government bureaus with teenage bros.
— KR (@krazy1.bsky.social) February 11, 2025 at 6:28 PM
Ummm Trump supposedly won the election but Musk was NOT voted in by the people.
— demsrock2024.bsky.social (@demsrock2024.bsky.social) February 11, 2025 at 5:25 PM
I love how many times he mentions "unelected ". God help us.
— bellinini.bsky.social (@bellinini.bsky.social) February 11, 2025 at 5:26 PM
Remember, when Republicans were so eager about the birth certificate of Obama - now nobody seems to care that an African migrant is holding speeches in the Oval Office…
— Martin Kleiner 🧻 (@kleinergag.bsky.social) February 12, 2025 at 6:49 AM
I did not vote for a modern day South African Lex Luther
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— Thomas the Woof (@thomasthewoof60.bsky.social) February 11, 2025 at 9:05 PM
I didn’t think it was possible. Elon Musk is more reprehensible than Trump.
— Lynn (@reasonablyblue.bsky.social) February 11, 2025 at 8:08 PM
I think everyone is underestimating the mounting fury from Americans for Elon Musk.
— Blue Woman Voting (@bluewomanvoting123.bsky.social) February 11, 2025 at 5:30 PM
Trump, who sat at the Resolute Desk during Musk's rant, said he was signing an executive order to give Musk more power over the federal workforce.
The new order mandates that federal agencies "coordinate and consult" with DOGE to reduce staff and restrict hiring, according to a White House summary. Under the directive, agencies must "undertake plans for large-scale reductions in force" while limiting new hires to only "essential positions," the summary states.
For weeks, Musk has denounced what he describes as waste, fraud, or abuse identified by DOGE, though many of the examples he has shared on social media lack concrete details or have been completely debunked. On Monday, the DOGE account on X announced that the administration had canceled 89 contracts worth $881 million but did not specify what the contracts entailed or why they were deemed wasteful.