During his address to Congress Tuesday night, President Donald Trump accidentally highlighted his decision to put Elon Musk, a billionaire who was not elected to any office, in control of significant government resources—even as he complained about “unelected bureaucrats.”
The moment came as Trump argued that his victory in the 2024 election, in which he won the popular vote by 1.5 percentage points, was a “mandate” for “bold and profound change” that allows him to attack thousands of federal workers.
“My administration will reclaim power from this unaccountable bureaucracy, and we will restore true democracy to America again. The days of rule by unelected bureaucrats are over,” Trump said.
Democrats in the chamber immediately responded with audible laughter, and some pointed to Trump financier and co-president Musk, who was in attendance.
Related | GOP bans dissent at Trump's speech—and ejects a lawmaker
Trump put Musk in charge of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, which he has allowed to infest multiple federal departments. DOGE actions have led to critical funding cutoffs, yet the organization continues to issue false claims of saving “billions” in tax dollars.
The Trump administration has tried to claim that Musk is not in charge of DOGE, even though Trump recently invited him to preside over a Cabinet meeting to provide an update on DOGE operations.
Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts was among the most prominent Democrats to highlight Trump’s admission.
“I agree with Donald Trump that an unelected bureaucrat should be fired. Let’s start with Elon Musk,” she wrote on Bluesky.
Musk is unpopular with the public, and his actions have led to protests at Tesla, one of his key companies. But he and Trump continue to be so in sync that he is often described as Trump’s “co-president.”
So much for the supposed hate of “unelected bureaucrats.”
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