So far, Elon Musk has been among the least popular aspects of the new administration. While President Donald Trump and his agenda have received glowing marks from the public in his first months in office, Musk’s favorability ratings have plummeted and the public has grown increasingly weary of his leadership of the Department of Government Efficiency. Musk’s numbers have even sunk among Republican voters.
This phenomenon explains two recent events: the Democrats’ anti-Musk protest outside the Department of Treasury last week and Musk’s appearance alongside Trump in the Oval Office on Tuesday. Public perception of Musk and his unprecedented governmental role has become the focal point where the narrative war is currently being waged.
No wonder Musk feels as though he’s undergoing a “daily proctology exam,” as he stated Tuesday.
For the White House, it was smart to put Musk in front of the cameras. While the optics were a bit awkward — Musk’s black trench coat and black MAGA hat didn’t dispel notions that he is really an evil supervillain — his delivery was commendable. He defended the work of DOGE in fundamentally practical terms with calmness and clarity. He came across as reasonable and in command, and many people doubtless liked what they heard.
“If your taxpayer dollars are not being spent in a sensible and frugal manner, then that’s not OK. Your tax dollars need to be spent wisely on things that matter to the American people,” the Tesla CEO said. “It’s just common sense. It’s not draconian or radical. I think it’s really just saying, ‘Let’s look at each of these expenditures,’ and say, ‘Is this actually in the best interest of the American people?’”
To be sure, the only tactic available to Democrats in the face of DOGE at this moment is fearmongering. By accusing Musk of orchestrating a “hostile takeover of government” shrouded in secrecy, they hope to create enough political backlash to slow things down.
But the accusation is preposterous on its face, and not only because a Democratic president just spent four years hiding from the press. Indeed, every action by DOGE thus far has been an echo of what Trump called for during the campaign.
“You couldn’t ask for a stronger mandate from the public,” Musk said Tuesday. “We have a majority of the public voting for President Trump. We won the House. We won the Senate.
“The people voted for major government reform,” he continued, “and that’s what people are going to get.”
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None of the most “controversial” actions taken thus far by DOGE would surprise anyone who paid attention to the presidential race. Cutting diversity, equity, and inclusion funding in the Department of Education? Trump promised to do just that at every campaign stop. Reducing the size of the federal workforce? Trump mentioned it often as a way to counteract the “deep state.” Firing the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s chief financial officer for allegedly disbursing funds to house migrants in luxury hotels? What could possibly be more Trumpian than that?
Of course, if Musk’s framing is disingenuous and the DOGE project turns out to be as harrowing as Democrats suggest, Trump and his party will eventually pay the political price. But if it follows the vision laid out by Musk on Tuesday, it will only continue to reflect what people voted for in November.