Elon Musk brandishes a chainsaw on stage. Credit / Getty Images
It will likely come as no surprise that Elon Musk finds his name dominating headlines once again. The world’s richest man has hardly been a stranger to controversy over the past year, but his latest stunt might have even his staunchest supporters scratching their heads.
The rest of the world watches on as the circus that US politics has become rages on, and Musk has become an unlikely center-piece in the dramatics – this despite not holding any sort of elected position in Donald Trump’s administration.
The Tesla and Space X founder has been appointed head of DOGE (the newly-formed Depart of Government Efficiency), charged with slashing costs wherever he can. On paper at least, his aim is to weed out what he sees as taxpayers’ money being wasted, and to that end he’s set about attempting to drastically reduce the federal workforce.
Rightly or wrongly, Musk has managed to force his way into an extremely influential position since Donald Trump’s election victory last year, and his presence has generated more rumors and speculation than anyone in the US government, save perhaps the POTUS himself.
Last week Elon fielded answered questions from the press in the Oval Office, accompanied by his 4-year-old son. That was a bizarre sight for anyone to see, but perhaps not so bizarre – at least to the layman – as his recent brandishing of a chainsaw at a political event.
The 53-year-old business mogul – said to have a worth of around $400 billion – made an appearance at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) alongside special guest Argentinian President Javier Milei.
Musk marked the moment by producing a chainsaw, much to the shock and bewilderment of hundreds of thousands of people who followed the event online.
If we dig a little deeper, there is an explanation for his stunt that lies outside the boundaries of simply branding him mad. As per reports, the chainsaw has become a symbol for President Milei and his leadership in Argentina.
During the run-in to elections in his own country, Milei gained popularity for wielding a chainsaw at his rallies to symbolically strengthen his promise of slashing public spending.
At a time when US politics has fully embraced a sense of theater and showmanship in order to better get its points across, it might not alarm folks that Musk embraced Milei’s chainsaw gimmick on stage, thereafter promising to commit a political Texas Chainsaw Massacre via the powers afforded to the aforementioned DOGE department.
OXON HILL, MARYLAND – FEBRUARY 20: CEO of Tesla and SpaceX Elon Musk holds a chainsaw as he arrives on stage at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at the Gaylord National Resort Hotel And Convention Center on February 20, 2025 in Oxon Hill, Maryland. Argentinian President Javier Milei gifted Musk the chainsaw that he used as a prop while campaigning. The annual four-day gathering brings together conservative U.S. lawmakers, international leaders, media personalities and businessmen to discuss and champion conservative ideas. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
“This is the chainsaw for bureaucracy,” Musk told the crowd as he waved the tool above his head.
“DOGE started out as a meme,” he added. “And now it’s real.”
Yet it wasn’t all fun and games for the CEO of X (formerly Twitter), as his ex-partner Grimes, mother to three of his children, pleaded with him to contact her regarding a “medical crisis” involving one of his kids.
“Plz respond about our child’s medical crisis. I am sorry to do this publicly but it is no longer acceptable to ignore this situation. This requires immediate attention,” Grimes wrote on X.
“If you don’t want to talk to me can you please designate or hire someone who can so that we can move forward on solving this. This is urgent, Elon.”
Grimes didn’t elaborate further on just what said medical crisis entailed, but did express that the child in question could “suffer life long impairment” if Musk continued to ignore her.
