Elon Musk’s dramatic pivot from Trump critic to power broker shook Washington to its core. After pledging $250 million and declaring “I’m with him,” Musk took up residence in the Lincoln Bedroom and spearheaded the controversial DOGE initiative, slashing over 100,000 federal jobs. His chainsaw-wielding speeches and aggressive reforms triggered market turmoil and widespread fury among Democrats. Yet behind the chaos lay an even more startling transformation of American government.
Three words changed everything: “I’m with him.”
With those words, Elon Musk threw his support behind Donald Trump minutes after the July 2024 assassination attempt, marking a dramatic shift from his previous stance telling Trump to “sail into the sunset.”
The Tesla billionaire didn’t just tweet his support – he opened his wallet, pouring a staggering $250 million into Trump’s campaign through his controversially-named Musk’s America PAC.
Then came the Lincoln Bedroom.
The historic Lincoln Bedroom became Musk’s unofficial White House residence, transforming a presidential landmark into a tech billionaire’s crash pad.
Yes, really.
After Trump’s victory, Musk practically moved into the White House, sharing late-night ice cream sessions with the president and turning the historic bedroom into his part-time crash pad.
It was cozy.
Too cozy, some might say.
But the real fireworks started with DOGE – the Department of Government Efficiency.
Created by executive order on Inauguration Day, this new agency became Musk’s playground for ruthless government restructuring.
Imagine this: Musk wielding an actual chainsaw during a public speech about cutting federal jobs.
Subtle, he was not.
The numbers were staggering.
Within 100 days, over 100,000 federal workers lost their jobs.
DOGE’s interview tactics were legendary – and not in a good way.
“Who should we fire?” became the go-to question, creating an atmosphere that made The Hunger Games look like a tea party.
The economy took notice.
Markets plummeted as Musk and Trump’s aggressive policies triggered a trade war, leading to what experts called a classic bear market decline of over 20% from recent highs.
Tesla investors weren’t thrilled either, watching their CEO play government demolition expert while their stock price wobbled.
Republican voters loved it.
Democrats? Not so much.
Former federal employees were furious, lawsuits piled up, and government agencies struggled to function while Susie Wiles noted that even experienced officials were struggling with the norm-breaking changes.
DOGE claimed they would achieve one trillion dollars in savings, though their actual cuts fell far short of this ambitious target.
Meanwhile, Musk continued his White House sleepovers and strategic sessions with Trump, even after promising to scale back his DOGE involvement in May 2025.
The whole spectacle perfectly captured the chaos of Trump’s second term – bold, brash, and completely unprecedented.
Whether you saw it as necessary reform or reckless destruction largely depended on your political stance.
One thing was certain: government would never be the same.
