Bono Slams DOGE Cuts, Musk Fires Back

U2 frontman Bono has never shied away from controversy — and now he’s turning his attention to two global power players: Donald Trump and Elon Musk.

Taking Aim at DOGE

During a three-hour interview on The Joe Rogan Experience, Bono fiercely criticized the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), calling its budget cuts “pure evil.” DOGE, a Trump-era initiative led by Musk, aimed to slash government spending. Bono cited research from Boston University, warning the cuts could lead to over 300,000 global d**ths.

“There’s food rotting in boats and warehouses — 50,000 tons of it,” Bono said. “The people who knew the codes, who were responsible for distributing that aid, were fired. That’s not America, is it?”

Springsteen Joins the Chorus

Bono isn’t the only music icon speaking out. Bruce Springsteen has used his tour to criticize Trump directly, telling fans:

“In America, the richest men are taking satisfaction in abandoning the world’s poorest children to sickness and death… and they take sadistic pleasure in the pain they inflict on loyal American workers.”

Musk Responds — Brutally

Elon Musk didn’t hold back. Responding on X, he called Bono “such a liar” and “an idiot,” denying any deaths from the DOGE cuts:

“Zero people have died because of the cuts to USAID,” he wrote.

Musk even cited South Park, quipping, “They lampooned Bono as the biggest s*** in the world. They were right.”

Musk Breaks with Trump

Despite defending DOGE, Musk expressed disappointment with Trump’s latest budget proposal — the so-called Big, Beautiful Bill. The proposal boosts military funding and slashes support for health and energy programs.

In a CBS Sunday Morning interview, Musk admitted:

“It increases the deficit and undermines DOGE’s work.”

“The Whipping Boy for Everything”

Musk later told The Washington Post that DOGE had become an easy target:

“Something bad happens, and DOGE gets blamed — even if we had nothing to do with it.”

He concluded:

“Fixing DC is an uphill battle. The federal bureaucracy is worse than I thought.”