The Blubber

Ever since former President Donald Trump appointed Elon Musk to lead a newly established federal department, the tech billionaire has remained at the center of controversy. As head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Musk has taken on the task of overhauling the federal government, leading to the termination of thousands of employees. The world’s richest man believes these actions have made him a target, claiming that some of his critics want to "kill him."

In an interview with Fox News, Musk stated, “When you take away people’s … fraud, the money they’re receiving fraudulently, they get very upset, and they basically want to kill me because I’m stopping their fraud.”

He further claimed that opposition to Tesla stems from the company's role in exposing government waste and corruption. “And they want to hurt Tesla because we’re stopping this terrible waste and corruption in the government. And, well, I guess they’re bad people. Bad people do bad things,” he said.

Musk asserted that fraud within the government is so widespread that it has contributed to an annual $2 trillion deficit. He warned that unchecked corruption and wasteful spending could push the U.S. toward bankruptcy.

“A country is no different from a person. If a country overspends and doesn’t spend wisely—just like a person—it will go bankrupt,” Musk remarked.

Since January, DOGE has launched investigations into multiple federal departments and agencies, including the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the U.S. Institute of Peace. These probes have resulted in thousands of job cuts and the freezing of congressionally allocated funds. However, the department’s actions have been met with fierce opposition from congressional Democrats and have sparked several legal battles.

Recently, a federal judge ruled that DOGE may have acted unconstitutionally by shutting down USAID, ordering the Trump administration to reverse some of the measures used to dismantle the agency.

U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang issued a ruling preventing further dismissals of USAID personnel and contractors. He also directed the government to restore access to official email accounts for employees who had been removed.