The fact that Elon Musk’s name is once again making news is perhaps not surprising. Over the past year, scandal has been nothing new for the richest man in the world, but his most recent stunt may leave even his most ardent followers perplexed.
The rest of the world observes the circus that has become US politics, and Musk, who has no official role in Donald Trump’s administration, has become an unusual focal point of the spectacle.
The founder of Space X and Tesla has been named head of DOGE, the recently established Department of Government Efficiency, and is tasked with cutting expenses wherever possible. At least on paper, he wants to eliminate what he believes is a waste of taxpayer dollars, thus he is working to substantially cut the government workforce.
Since Donald Trump’s election victory last year, Musk has successfully pushed his way into a highly prominent position, right or wrong. His presence has sparked more whispers and speculation than anyone else in the US government, possibly with the exception of the President himself.
Along with his 4-year-old son, Elon took questions from the media last week in the Oval Office. Although that was an odd sight for anyone to witness, his recent brandishing of a chainsaw at a political gathering may have been more odd to the uninitiated.
The 53-year-old corporate tycoon, who is estimated to be worth $400 billion, attended the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) with Argentinean President Javier Milei as a special guest.
In a move that shocked and confused hundreds of thousands of people who watched the event online, Musk commemorated the occasion by brandishing a chainsaw.
If we look a bit closer, we can find a reason for his stunt that goes beyond just calling him insane. The chainsaw has reportedly come to represent President Milei and his administration in Argentina.
Milei became well-known for using a chainsaw at his rallies to symbolically bolster his pledge to cut public spending in the lead-up to elections in his own nation.
The fact that Musk used Milei’s chainsaw gimmick on stage and then pledged to carry out a political Texas Chainsaw Massacre using the authority granted to the aforementioned DOGE department may not alarm people at a time when US politics has fully embraced theater and showmanship in order to better make its points.
Musk hoisted the instrument above his head and declared to the audience, “This is the chainsaw for bureaucracy.”
“DOGE began as a meme,” he continued. “And it’s real now.”
For the CEO of X (previously Twitter), however, it wasn’t all fun and games. His ex-partner Grimes, who is the mother of three of his children, begged him to get in touch with her about a “medical crisis” concerning one of his children.
Please reply regarding the medical emergency involving our child. I apologize for doing this in public, but ignoring this problem is no longer an option. “This needs to be addressed immediately,” Grimes commented on X.
“Please assign or recruit someone who can speak with me if you don’t want to so that we can continue working to find a solution. Elon, this is urgent.
Grimes stated that the child in question may “suffer life long impairment” if Musk ignored her, but he did not go into further detail about what exactly that medical catastrophe meant.
