SAN FRANCISCO — As Elon Musk digs into the federal bureaucracy in his crusade to slash government spending, he has a tool that no aspiring cost-cutter has had before: his own giant social media platform to debate, shame, and bludgeon anyone who stands in his way.
Since the inauguration, Musk has attacked journalists and X users for posting the names of people working with him, calling it “a crime.’’ He’s accused Treasury Department officials of “breaking the law every hour of every day.’’ And Musk has mocked Senator Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, as “hysterical.’’
On Monday, Musk celebrated his progress, posting he had fed the US Agency for International Development, the government’s lead agency for humanitarian aid, “into the wood chipper.’’
And Tuesday, Musk began a poll on X: “Would you like DOGE to audit the IRS?’’
The comments show how Musk, who unlike traditional government figures rarely holds news conferences or speaks to reporters, is using his social media site as a powerful tool to promote his goals as part of the Trump administration. Since the inauguration, Musk has unleashed a barrage of posts to his more than 215 million followers, promoting conspiratorial rumors about his adversaries, pressuring senators to confirm President Trump’s Cabinet picks, and weighing in on foreign elections.
On top of that, Musk’s account is becoming one of the few sources for information about the billionaire’s secretive stampede to slash the federal budget, an initiative he calls the Department of Government Efficiency.
X has given Musk an unusual avenue to showcase his unapologetically confrontational approach to cost-cutting in a way that appeals to Trump’s base, tech policy experts said.
“The performative aspect of this is key. It’s a big part of what populism is,’’ said Sarah Kreps, director of the Cornell Brooks School Tech Policy Institute. “To be able to have this very visible shake-up really is important to the constituency that rose the administration to power.’’
Musk and a spokesperson for the cost-cutting initiative did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Musk’s transformation of X into his political megaphone began when he bought the social media company in October 2022. The next year, he became the most followed person on the site. Engagement with his posts has since mushroomed, according to X’s metrics, making him the loudest voice on the platform.
Now Musk, who is chief executive of Tesla and SpaceX, has charged into his new role to cut government spending, swiftly moving to transform at least half a dozen government agencies, challenging congressional authority, and potentially breaching civil service protections.
His project has worked to shut down USAID. Leaders of the cost-cutting initiative have also pushed out top officials there and at the Treasury Department who objected to the actions of his representatives, and ended leases on government office spaces.
As part of those efforts, Musk has used his X account to critique federal agencies in his crosshairs. USAID is “evil’’ and “a criminal organization,’’ Musk wrote in separate posts Sunday.
