Elon Musk served as one of the main attractions at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on Thursday evening with a late-scheduled appearance that saw him wield a chainsaw and discuss a range of topics.
Musk’s appearance began with a bang when Argentine President Javier Milei came out to offer the Tesla CEO the chainsaw, which Musk brandished on stage. His subsequent interview with Newsmax’s Rob Schmitt touched on everything from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
The chainsaw move, and the talk, highlighted Musk’s efforts with DOGE, which seeks to slash government spending and bureaucracy. Like Milei, who has pledged to make sweeping cuts to Argentina’s government and has reportedly served as an inspiration for DOGE, Musk has embraced Trump’s vision to shake up the status quo in Washington.
But Musk’s appearance at CPAC also underscored the Tesla CEO’s growing influence and power within the GOP.
Here are 5 takeaways from Musk’s CPAC talk.
Musk the rock star
Musk, once a tech entrepreneur who largely stayed out of the political spotlight, appears to be embracing his newfound prominence in the U.S.
The tech billionaire donned a “rock star” look, wearing blacked-out sunglasses, a black “Make America Great Again” hat and a chain, along with a black graphic t-shirt and pants.
He later quipped that it was a “dark, gothic MAGA” look.
Shortly after coming out on stage, Milei surprised the crowd, handing Musk a gifted chainsaw.
Upon holding it in the air, Musk screamed, “This is the chainsaw for bureaucracy,” prompting cheers from the crowd.
The move suggested the tech billionaire is not backing down on DOGE’s efforts, despite mounting criticism from Democrats and some federal employees.
Several lawsuits have been filed contesting the layoffs, buyouts for federal workers and closures of entire independent agencies that have come from DOGE’s initiatives. DOGE’s apparent access to sensitive information has also been challenged in court.
Musk thanked the CPAC crowd for their support, stating he is “trying to get good things done but also have a good time doing it and have a sense of humor.”
“There’s living the dream and then there’s living the meme and that’s pretty much what’s happening. DOGE started out as a meme,” he said, referring to the popular DOGE meme coin.
“Sort of the left wanted to make comedy illegal, you know, you can’t make fun of anything. So that was like, ‘comedy sucks.’ It’s like nothing’s funny. You can’t make fun of anything,” Musk continued. “It’s like … legalize comedy.”
‘Traction’ for DOGE checks
At one point, Schmitt asked Musk about Trump’s recent suggestion that his administration is considering using some of the money saved from DOGE’s government spending cuts to pay down the federal debt and potentially cut checks to Americans.
The idea appeared to come from an Arizona CEO who posted the idea of a “DOGE Dividend” on the social platform X.
“It’s money – that’s taken away from things that are disruptive to the country and from organizations that hate you – to you,” Musk said Thursday. “That’s awesome. I mean like that’s glorious.”
He said there is “traction” to the idea, adding he spoke with the president, who is “supportive” of that plan.
The conversation then shifted to the layoffs at the Internal Revenue Service earlier in the day, when 6,700 employees were fired from the agency. When Schmitt brought up reports that the IRS could be shut down, Musk let out a slight laugh and nodded but did not verbally respond.
Addressing security concerns
Eventually, the tech billionaire was asked about his concerns about security, with Schmitt calling him a “wanted man.”
“Look, I’m open to ideas about improving security, I have to tell you. Like I don’t actually have a death wish, I think, but it’s not that easy,” Musk said.
Schmitt suggested the Tesla CEO has an “enormous” security team, to which he said, “It’s not that enormous. It should be bigger, I don’t know.”
The conversation comes as Musk faces increasing criticism and even some threats in Washington for his leadership of DOGE. Trump himself faced two assassination attempts last year.
“We’re fighting the matrix big time here, but it’s got to be done,” Musk said.
Touching on tensions over Russia-Ukraine
Musk was asked about the Russia-Ukraine conflict and criticism Trump has received in over his approach to ending the war.
“Well, first of all, I think we should have empathy for the people dying at the front lines. That’s the most important thing,” Musk said.
“It’s like, how many more years is this supposed to go on?” he asked. “And imagine if that was your son, your father, you know, what are they dying for? What exactly are they dying for?”
He suggested people were being sent “into a meat grinder for money” in describing the war and alleged there was graft and bribery going on. Musk suggested Trump’s handling of the conflict has been misunderstood by people, saying he has “a lot of empathy, he really cares.”
Earlier in the conversation Musk also quipped about the idea that he was a bought asset of Russian President Vladimir Putin. “He can’t afford me,” Musk said.
U.S. influence on Musk’s ‘morality’
Musk said toward the end of his interview that “my morality was informed by America,” noting that he consumed American pop culture growing up.
“I grew up in South Africa … but my morality was informed by America. I read comic books, you know, I played Dungeons & Dragons, and I watched American TV shows,” he said.
Musk suggested that “America cared about being the good guys, you know? About doing the right thing,” adding “that’s actually pretty unusual by the way.”
Musk came to the United States in 1992 when he was a student but received his citizenship roughly 10 years later, according to PolitiFact, which cited Walter Isaacson’s 2023 biography of the Tesla CEO.
Some Democrats have mockingly suggested that Musk is acting as the real leader or president of the U.S. – an idea that Trump himself has tamped down, noting that Musk is not a natural-born citizen as the Constitution requires presidents to be.
