OXON HILL, Maryland — Billionaire Elon Musk made an appearance at a conservative gathering outside Washington where he brandished a chainsaw, expressed his support for auditing the Federal Reserve, and accused Democrats of “treason.”
Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and a key advisor to President Donald Trump, discussed his efforts to reduce government spending and streamline the federal workforce during the event. He shared insights on this mission with the Department of Government Efficiency within the current administration.
Earlier on the same day, Musk was revealed as a speaker for the conference, receiving enthusiastic cheers from the attendees at the Conservative Political Action Conference. Prior to his speech, he held a meeting with the Argentine President Javier Milei, who Musk admires and who had notably used a chainsaw as a symbol in his 2023 campaign advocating for significant cuts in public spending.
After Musk appeared onstage, wearing shades and his trademark black “Make America Great Again” hat, he said Milei had a gift for him. The Argentine leader then walked onstage with the red chainsaw and passed it to Musk. The chainsaw was engraved with Milei’s slogan, “Viva la libertad, carajo,” which is Spanish for “Long live liberty, damn it.”
Elon Musk holds up a chainsaw he received from Argentina’s President Javier Milei, right, as they arrive to speak at the Conservative Political Action Conference.
AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana
“This is the chainsaw for bureaucracy,” he said.
Musk slammed the previous Biden administration for its immigration policies, specifically naming an app that was used by nearly 1 million people to be allowed into the U.S. on two-year permits with eligibility to work. He accused Biden and Democrats of doing that as an “investment” to get more support in swing states.
“A lot of people don’t quite appreciate that this was an actual real scam at scale to tilt the scales of democracy in America,” Musk said before Newsmax host Rob Schmitt asked him, “Treason?”
Musk responded, “Treason.”
When Schmitt asked him if he would consider auditing the Federal Reserve, Musk responded, “Yeah, sure, while we’re at it.”
“Waste is pretty much everywhere,” Musk said.
The billionaire joked that Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele has told him he is worried about his security and said he was open to ideas on how to improve his safety measures.
“President Bukele from El Salvador, who managed to put in prison like a hundred thousand murderous thugs, and he called me. ‘I am worried about your security,'” he said the Central American leader told him. “I’m like, ‘Dude, you are worried about my security?'”
When asked to describe what is like inside his mind, Musk replied: “My mind is a storm. It’s a storm.”
Steve Bannon, a popular Trump ally who once served as his chief strategist, followed Musk’s appearance and acknowledged he was not the evening’s top attraction as he took the stage to a far less enthusiastic reception.
“How did I draw the card to follow Elon Musk?” Bannon asked about a man he has frequently criticized as insufficiently loyal to Trump. “C’mon man! You bring out the world’s wealthiest guy, Superman. I’m supposed to follow it? I’m just a crazy Irishman!”
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