Elon Musk’s Government Chainsaw: Americans Worry He’s Cutting Too Deep
Dumbass billionaires suffering the Dunning-Kruger Effect slashing the government? What could possibly go wrong?
Elon Musk, the world's wealthiest man and dumbest supervillain EVAR, has been handed the government’s budget like a Tesla prototype—except this time, he’s hacking away at federal jobs instead of supply chain bottlenecks.
Alternative metaphor: He’s treating US agencies like disposable SpaceX rockets, blowing them up every now and then to satisfy his teen lust for destruction.
A new Reuters/Ipsos poll finds that 58% of Americans are worried that Musk’s cost-cutting crusade could delay essential services like Social Security and student aid.
Meanwhile, 71% believe billionaires have too much sway over Donald Trump’s administration, and even some die-hard MAGA supporters aren’t thrilled with Musk’s government-shrinking antics.
As Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) (not a real federal government department) slashes 10,000 federal jobs in just two weeks, critics are wondering: Is this "efficiency" or just a billionaire’s dystopian dream? (It’s most definitely the latter.)
Even among Trump’s most loyal fans, skepticism is creeping in.
A whopping 69% believe the ultra-rich are profiting from White House connections, and nearly half of self-identified MAGA enthusiasts say they don’t like the idea of the wealthiest Americans calling the shots.
Yet, here we are.
But don’t tell that to Musk, who was spotted grinning in the Oval Office last week while civil servants were shown the exit.
“It’s terrible optics,” noted public opinion expert John Geer. But the real test comes when a disaster strikes, and FEMA is too gutted to respond—or when Grandma’s Social Security check goes AWOL.
WHEN not if Trump and Musk miscalculate, Republicans in Congress will face major political blowback in the next election.
Despite these concerns, 59% of Americans still support downsizing government, at least in theory.
But support drops significantly when it means axing entire agencies—65% oppose shutting down the Department of Education, despite Trump calling it a “con job” he wants gone “immediately.”
Meanwhile, Musk’s public image isn't exactly soaring: Americans hold negative views of him, Jeff Bezos, and Mark Zuckerberg—who were all in attendance at Trump’s inauguration.
David Pepper, former Ohio Democratic Party chair, summed it up best: “Donald Trump said the little guy was being screwed by the big players. Well, now the big players are firing the little guy.”
The question is: will voters remember? No, they won’t. They didn’t remember that Trump led a mob to the US Capitol to interrupt a constitutionally-mandated proceeding.
Or—worse—they didn’t care then, and they don’t care now. It’s a toss-up.
Source: Reuters