At the annual gathering of conservatives, President Donald Trump's iconic red "Make America Great Again" hats were noticeably interspersed with the black "Dark MAGA" hats promoted by Elon Musk. This is just one indication of Musk's growing influence, as the world's richest man, who once supported Democrats Barack Obama and Joe Biden, has become a power center for conservatives due to his connection with Trump.
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02-26, 2025"He's an authentic and unique person. I'm glad he's on the team," said Whitney Mason, a 62-year-old real estate agent from Seattle. Musk was a surprise guest of honor at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), announcing his attendance just hours before taking the stage, and brandishing a chainsaw.
Days after the Trump administration claimed in court that Musk was not responsible for its signature government efficiency division, Musk's props and comments made no secret of his role and influence. At CPAC, speakers frequently mentioned DOGE, a meme coin named after a Shiba Inu dog, promoted by Musk in 2021, and used it to playfully name the government division.
They called him a "white knight," a "hero of free speech," in various ways, and even his harshest critic, Steve Bannon, called him "Superman." House Speaker Mike Johnson told the conservatives in attendance: "What Elon and his team have done is something Congress is incapable of doing. They've cracked the code. They're in the belly of the bureaucracy, where algorithms are crawling."
At Musk's suggestion, the Trump administration fired thousands of federal workers without warning. It allowed employees to choose to resign and cut agencies without congressional approval. Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, acquired Twitter in 2022, promising to identify areas for cost-cutting and service streamlining, and save trillions of taxpayer dollars, but these directives caused chaos and sparked demonstrations in various agencies.
As Trump spoke at CPAC on Saturday, Musk announced that federal workers would receive an email explaining what they had accomplished in the past week, stating that "failure to reply will be considered resignation." Trump said in his Saturday speech: "Elon's doing a great job. We love Elon, don't we? He's a character."
Critics say Musk could benefit from his close relationship with Trump, as numerous federal investigations and security projects are being created through federal agency orders that are impacting Tesla's plans to create a fleet of autonomous taxis and self-driving cars. Musk's SpaceX also has major contracts with the Pentagon, NASA, and intelligence agencies.
Collin McEvoy, 19, who voted for Trump, admires Vice President JD Vance and praised Musk's business acumen, but said he is concerned about Musk's growing power in the federal government and the reduction of regulations protecting workers from large corporations. "I like the basic principle of making government more efficient and cutting costs," said McEvoy, a political science student at Salisbury University. "I think he probably has a lot of self-interest, the richest man in the world playing a very important role in the government, reducing these regulations, is that very likely to end up profiting his businesses? I definitely think that could be a big part of it too."
The Trump administration has not announced any actions that could benefit Tesla or Musk's other companies. Musk's stance on issues such as H-1B visas has made him a target of popular MAGA figures like Bannon, who served as Trump's chief strategist and hosts the influential "War Room" podcast. Musk was born in South Africa and once held an H-1B visa.
Bannon has previously called the world's richest man a "parasitic illegal alien" and an "oligarch," arguing that Musk would abandon Trump when he no longer finds him useful. Bannon did not criticize Musk at CPAC, but was instead under scrutiny for making a straight-arm gesture resembling a Nazi salute on stage, which was compared by critics from both sides. Bannon said he was simply waving to the crowd.
At a Washington hotel near the White House, more than a thousand anti-Trump activists and thought leaders gathered at the "Principles First Summit," where they repeatedly mocked another billionaire, Mark Cuban, who accused Trump of "overselling" and argued that Musk's actions to date have not helped those who voted for the Republican president. Cuban used profanity to accuse Musk of not caring and said "Elon is going to make his job a thousand times harder."
Trump posted on Truth Social on Saturday that he "would like to see him more active." In his speech, Trump lightly responded to complaints about Musk not having a formal position in his government, but having a strong influence on decision-making in the first month of his term. "People say 'well, what official position does he have?' I say he's a patriot," Trump said.
