WASHINGTON — As Democrats reel from their losses in the November election, the party is beginning to turn their attention away from President Donald Trump and set their sights on a new target: Elon Musk.
Since being tapped as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency, there has been no shortage of headlines detailing Musk’s aggressive takeover of the federal government and efforts to clean house in a number of agencies. Democrats have used the opportunity to cry wolf and paint the multi-billionaire as a danger to democracy.
“Democrats have warned the American people that DOGE is operating like a shadow,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said earlier this week. “It has no authority to make spending decisions to shut down programs or ignore federal law. That is not debatable, this is an indisputable fact. No authority to shut down programs or ignore federal law.”
Republicans so far appear to be unconcerned with Musk’s efforts to rein in government spending and restructure some agencies. And many lawmakers have brushed off suggestions the multi-billionaire is calling the shots in the new Trump administration.
“President Trump is free to act upon the recommendations of any advisor he pleases, and I’m glad that he is working with the world’s most successful tech entrepreneur, who is volunteering his time and talent to save taxpayer dollars and cut government waste,” Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, told the Deseret News. “Democrats complaining that we’re cutting funds for transgender operas in Colombia or DEI programs in Serbia is a bad strategy to turn Americans against DOGE.”
For Democrats, sitting in the minority in both chambers of Congress, there’s not much they can do legislatively to rein in Musk’s newfound power. But the party has made clear the Tesla CEO is their newest target as they try to win back the working class who swung toward Republicans in the 2024 election — focusing much of their messaging in recent days on DOGE, which Schumer referred to as “a secret squad of company men” pulling off a “hostile takeover.”
On Thursday alone, Democrats held three separate press conferences to talk about Musk and his government reform efforts. Party leaders have already introduced two separate bills looking to restrict his abilities as a special government employee.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., accompanied by other members of Congress, including Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif, left, speaks during a rally against Elon Musk outside the Treasury Department in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025. | Jose Luis Magana
Democrats sound alarm on Musk’s role in Trump administration
Democrats began waving red flags over the weekend after Musk indicated plans to dismantle the U.S. Agency for International Development, a key source for foreign humanitarian aid. The USAID website was swiftly removed and personnel were notified they would be placed on administrative leave on Friday.
The quick succession of events rang alarm bells for Democrats, who questioned the legality for Musk to fold an agency into the State Department without congressional approval.
“Elon Musk, you may have illegally seized power over the financial payments systems of the Treasury, but you don’t control the money of the American people,” Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., said at a protest outside the USAID building on Tuesday. “The U.S. Congress does that under Article 1 of the Constitution … We don’t have a fourth branch of government called ‘Elon Musk.’”
Tensions reached a fever pitch days later when it was reported that Musk gained access to the Treasury’s payment system, which disburses money on behalf of the entire federal government. Control over that system also gives DOGE access to sensitive personal information about anyone who receives Social Security checks, tax refunds, or other payments from the federal government.
Democrats have homed in on the unfettered access, painting Musk as an unelected bureaucrat running amok with Americans’ personal information.
“How many Americans identify with a multi-billionaire who behaves strangely?” Rep. James McGovern, D-Mass., told the Deseret News. “How much does he benefit from taxpayer money from the federal government? Are there conflicts of interest here? I’m pretty sure he’s not going to recommend cutting any programs that he gets money from.”
Several Democratic lawmakers noted they’ve received an influx of phone calls from constituents expressing concern about Musk’s actions, giving Democrats fodder to attack Trump’s righthand man as a “liability.”
“House Republicans don’t appear interested in working for everyday Americans and solving problems for hardworking American taxpayers,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said. “Why? Because they are working for Elon Musk and doing the bidding of an unelected, unaccountable, out-of-control billionaire puppet master.”
Democrats keep hammering as polling shows low Musk popularity
While Democrats turn up the noise on their anti-Musk messaging, new polling shows that their messaging might be working.
Internal polling conducted by House Majority Forward, a nonprofit group aligned with House Democrats, shows Musk is fairly unpopular among voters in battleground districts. More than half of voters (51%) disapprove of Musk compared to just 43% who say they approve, according to the poll.
His favorability ratings fare even worse: Only 42% find him favorable compared to 51% who said the opposite.
Another poll conducted by the Economist and YouGov found similar findings: 49% of U.S. voters hold an unfavorable view of Musk compared to 43% who approve of his job performance so far.
Republicans praise Musk’s efforts to rein in government
Republicans have brushed off concerns that Musk’s wavering favorability will be a liability, arguing Trump’s popularity is enough that Democrats “can’t get rid of him.”
“President Donald Trump campaigned on bringing Elon Musk into the fold to root out government corruption,” Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., told the Deseret News. “Only corrupt career politicians are scared of his work to shine a light on the government’s shady dealings. It’s not unusual at all for the government to bring in experts to find and correct inefficiencies.”
Others have criticized Democrats for seeking to pin blame on Musk, saying he does not hold unilateral power in the federal government.
“I think Elon Musk’s role is to advise the president, so any actions that are being taken, that are actually directives, have to come from the president,” Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., said on Wednesday. “I think there’s a little bit of a misnomer with ‘Elon’s doing this, Elon’s doing that.’ Elon can’t do anything. He can make recommendations but these are the president’s decisions ultimately.”
Trump himself has also rejected assertions that Musk is taking control, telling reporters earlier this week that the DOGE leaders won’t do anything without the president’s explicit approval and that he regularly “reports in.”
“Elon can’t do and won’t do anything without our approval, and we’ll give him the approval where it’s appropriate,” Trump told reporters on Monday.
