“Republicans in name only” is as damning an insult as one GOP member can give another.
And while Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis stopped just short of calling some of his peers RINOs, the conservative firebrand didn’t pull his punches beyond that in a blistering X post.
DeSantis — no stranger to fighting against his own party when the need arises — took to social media Tuesday morning to call out a number of his colleagues for not being fiscally conservative enough (or at all) while the country grapples with an insane deficit.
Specifically, DeSantis lamented the lack of support that Department of Government Efficiency head Elon Musk was getting from congressional lawmakers.
“[Musk] took massive incoming — including attacks on his companies as well as personal smears — to lead the effort on [DOGE],” DeSantis posted to X, before noting just how heavy that toll would become for the tech mogul.
“He became public enemy #1 of legacy media around the world,” DeSantis continued, before getting to the heart of his criticism.
“To see Republicans in Congress cast aside any meaningful spending reductions (and, in fact, fully fund things like USAID) is demoralizing and represents a betrayal of the voters who elected them,” he posted.
DeSantis was responding to conservative personality Matt Van Swol, who began his Tuesday with a threatening good morning for the GOP:
GOOD MORNING GOP!!!
TODAY WOULD BE A GREAT DAY TO PASS THE DOGE CUTS…
…OR ANY DAY IN THE LAST 4 MONTHS FOR THAT MATTER!!!
PASS. THE. DAMN. DOGE. CUTS!!!!!!
— Matt Van Swol (@matt_vanswol) May 27, 2025
Later, when it became clear that the GOP would not “codify” DOGE cuts (which, in fairness, may not even be possible, according to Trump advisor Stephen Miller), Van Swol took to X again, in the post that was eventually picked up by DeSantis.
DOGE is literally one of the most popular government initiatives in history.
73% of Americans say they support cutting government waste.
Trump brought in the smartest man on earth to do it…
…the Left destroyed Elon for it
…the GOP won’t vote on it
I can’t believe this.
— Matt Van Swol (@matt_vanswol) May 26, 2025
“DOGE is literally one of the most popular government initiatives in history,” Van Swol posted.
“… the GOP won’t vote on it,” he added. “I can’t believe this.”
Adding to the dour mood of this entire social media exchange, Musk himself chimed in, and it was a far cry from the tech mogul’s usual, bombastic self.
Thank you for everything.
I guess it’s time to go to Mars.
— Matt Van Swol (@matt_vanswol) May 26, 2025
“Did my best,” Musk wrote in a muted post.
“Thank you for everything,” Van Swol responded. “I guess it’s time to go to Mars.”
If that ends up being the case, it’s pretty clear that there are at least some Republicans that DeSantis, Van Swol, and perhaps even Musk himself, would like to leave back on Earth.
Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.