The Blubber

Musk Calls Himself 'Tech Support' as DOGE Oversees Mass Firings

Elon Musk, head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), took center stage at President Donald Trump’s first Cabinet meeting, downplaying his role even as his agency spearheads sweeping layoffs across the federal workforce.

“Mr. President, well, I actually just call myself the humble tech support here,” Musk said, after Trump invited him to speak before any Cabinet member.

“We are actually tech support. It’s ironic but it’s true,” he added, flashing his signature T-shirt and sporting a ‘dark MAGA’ hat inside the meeting.

Musk acknowledged facing significant backlash, including “a lot of flak” and “a lot of death threats” as protests mount against his growing influence in Trump’s administration. His political footprint has expanded rapidly, particularly after he poured $277 million into Trump’s re-election campaign.

The ‘What You Did Last Week’ Email

Musk also shared details about his controversial “what you did last week” email, sent to 4 million federal employees. He described it as more of a “bed check” to confirm workers were actually alive and engaged.

However, Trump himself took the message a step further, warning that anyone who failed to respond was “on the bubble”—effectively putting them at risk of termination.

Admitting Errors, Moving Fast

Musk acknowledged that DOGE’s aggressive approach has led to “mistakes” but assured the administration that errors would be corrected swiftly.

“We will make mistakes. We won't be perfect. But when we make mistakes, we'll fix it very quickly,” Musk said.

As an example, he revealed that DOGE had briefly canceled Ebola prevention funding under USAID—an oversight that was quickly reversed.

“I think we all want Ebola prevention, so we restored the Ebola prevention immediately,” Musk noted.

Trump Stands by Musk

While Musk insisted he was merely “tech support”, Trump made it clear that no Cabinet member was to challenge him. The president shut down any potential criticism from officials, solidifying Musk’s role as a dominant force in his administration’s sweeping government overhaul.