Elon Musk is running the US government—at least, that’s what he wants everyone to believe. On X (formerly Twitter), he presents himself as President Donald Trump’s personal war machine, the man in charge of tearing down Washington’s bureaucratic mess through the Department of Government Efficiency (D.O.G.E). He claims he’s axing federal jobs, shutting down agencies, and cutting billions in wasteful spending.
But inside the White House, the story is not quite the same. The Trump administration now swears in court that Musk is just an adviser, not a decision-maker. In a legal filing on Tuesday, the White House testified that Musk has no control over D.O.G.E and no real power in government.
Trump needs Musk, but he also needs to distance himself. A new poll released Wednesday shows 55% of Americans believe Musk has too much influence. If the White House admits Musk is running D.O.G.E, it could fuel constitutional challenges and weaken Trump’s populist image. So they’re playing both sides—letting Musk take credit while legally denying his authority.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 20, 2025
White House scrambles to rewrite Musk’s role
The White House can’t keep its story straight. On Tuesday, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt insisted that D.O.G.E is nothing more than an advisory board that delivers recommendations to Trump and his cabinet.
“A president wins an election, and he appoints staff, including myself … including Elon Musk,” said Stephen Miller, Trump’s deputy chief of staff. “And those staff report to him.”
Yet just hours later, Musk sat beside Trump for a pre-recorded Fox News interview, talking about how he’s dismantling the federal government. He described his “special relationship” with Trump, his mission to enforce executive orders, and how he’s leading the charge against bureaucracy.
So, which version is true? A growing number of lawsuits demand answers. Federal courts are struggling to define Musk’s role in government. More than a dozen lawsuits have been filed against Trump’s D.O.G.E, accusing it of operating outside legal boundaries.
At a hearing on Monday, US District Judge Tanya Chutkan challenged Trump’s lawyers on Musk’s unchecked power.
“What appears to be the unchecked authority of an unelected individual and an entity that was not created by Congress and over which it has no oversight” raises serious constitutional concerns, Chutkan said.
Many Democratic attorneys general want Musk and D.O.G.E blocked from interfering with federal agencies. But courts are hesitating. The problem is nobody can define what D.O.G.E actually does.
Chutkan refused to grant an emergency order stopping Musk. She ruled that D.O.G.E’s exact role is still unclear, making a legal intervention premature.
The same lack of clarity is hurting other lawsuits. Since D.O.G.E operates in the shadows, plaintiffs can’t prove how or where it will strike next, making it difficult for courts to act preemptively.
D.O.G.E operates in secrecy while Musk adds to the chaos
A month into Trump’s second term, D.O.G.E remains a mystery. The office has no known administrator, no published list of employees, and no public records of its decisions.
The only thing that’s clear? Musk is calling the shots—at least on X. Since Trump’s inauguration, Musk has flooded his X platform with announcements about government programs being cut, employees being removed, and agencies being shut down. At times, it’s impossible to tell whether he’s speaking for himself or for the government.
Earlier this month, a Wired investigation identified many D.O.G.E staffers. Musk responded immediately, posting on X that revealing their identities “should be considered a criminal act.”
The White House, meanwhile, claims D.O.G.E is operating under “total transparency.” “All of our actions are fully public,” Musk told reporters at the White House this week.
While lawsuits pile up, Trump is turning D.O.G.E into a political selling point. At the FII Priority Summit in Miami Beach, Florida, Trump announced that he’s considering sending 20% of D.O.G.E savings directly to Americans.
“There’s even under consideration a new concept where we give 20% of the D.O.G.E savings to American citizens and 20% goes to paying down debt,” Trump said.
Musk has promised that D.O.G.E will cut $2 trillion in federal spending from the $6.75 trillion annual budget. If that happens, that means $400 billion could be redistributed to taxpayers—roughly $5,000 per household.
Some Republicans are already trying to pitch the plan as a “D.O.G.E dividend.” Others warn that without proof of real savings, it’s nothing more than an election gimmick.
Elon takes stage with a chainsaw at CPAC
Wearing a black MAGA hat and dark sunglasses, Elon Musk took the stage at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on Thursday to thunderous applause.
He wasn’t just Trump’s billionaire ally—he was the man tasked with gutting the federal government through mass layoffs, agency closures, and program cuts. And he wasn’t empty-handed.
Argentine President Javier Milei joined him on stage, handing him a real chainsaw, its blade engraved with “Viva la Libertad, carajo!”—Spanish for “Long live liberty, damn it!” Musk raised it high above his head.
“This is the chainsaw for bureaucracy!” he shouted. “Chainsaw!”
The crowd of thousands erupted in cheers, as Musk soaked in his rock-star moment.
While Musk was celebrating his “Department of Government Efficiency”, the backlash outside Washington was already growing.
At the same time Musk was speaking, Republican Congressman Rich McCormick held a town hall where voters were raising concerns about the scope of the cuts.
Polling numbers suggest the public isn’t sold on Musk’s approach. A Pew Research survey found that 54% of Americans now view Musk unfavorably, with 37% holding a “very unfavorable” opinion.
Meanwhile, a Reuters-Ipsos poll showed that only 23% of Americans believe the president should have the right to fire any federal employee who disagrees with him—while 58% worry that popular programs like Social Security and student loans could be at risk.
Even CNN polling showed that over half of Americans think Trump has gone “too far” in exercising his presidential powers.
Republicans rally behind Musk, but some are concerned
Not everyone in the GOP is worried. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson took the stage earlier at CPAC and defended Musk’s role, telling the crowd:
“They are exposing this massive fraud, waste, and abuse that we have not been able to uncover because the deep state has hidden it from us.”
For some Republicans, Trump and Musk are delivering what conservatives have spent decades trying to do—dismantling government. North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis told CBS News that the aggressive cuts were necessary because bureaucrats had refused to justify their spending.
“And the way to force people to justify investments on exceptions is to shut everything down,” Tillis said. “I know it’s disruptive, but they need to have the capacity to bring things back online that make sense.”
But that support isn’t universal. Some Republicans, especially those in states dependent on federal funding, have begun pushing back.
Senator Katie Britt of Alabama warned that cuts to health research in her state could be damaging. Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski blasted Musk’s approach on X, calling it reckless and harmful.
“I share the administration’s goal of reducing the size of the federal government,” she wrote. “But this approach is bringing confusion, anxiety, and now trauma to our civil servants.”
As Republican lawmakers face voter anger, the Trump administration has already started walking back some of its announced cuts.
Among the programs spared from Musk’s budget axe are:
- Department of Energy employees handling nuclear weapons security
- Department of Agriculture teams responding to the bird flu outbreak
- Health monitors for 9/11 first responders and survivors
The White House hasn’t signaled whether more reversals are coming. But if Trump’s approval ratings keep slipping, and Republicans start losing ground in key districts, Musk’s chainsaw may not get as much use as he expected.
