Tech billionaire Elon Musk on Tuesday reflected on his decision to wield a chain saw on stage in February to tout government spending cuts, saying the move “lacked empathy.”
Musk’s remark came in response to criticism from a social media user who pushed back on Musk’s claim that “Hitting the debt ceiling is the only thing that will actually force the government to cut waste and fraud.”
“Maybe you shouldn’t have taken the chainsaw on stage and acted a fool,” the user said in a post on the social platform X, which Musk owns. “Maybe you could have gotten more done if you weren’t so worried about looking cool.”
Musk replied directly: “Valid point.”
“Milei gave me the chainsaw backstage and I ran with it, but, in retrospect, it lacked empathy,” Musk continued, referring to Argentine President Javier Milei.
The viral moment came during an appearance at the Conservative Political Action Conference in February, when Musk delivered remarks touting his efforts to slash the federal budget and workforce through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) — which he spearheaded at the time.
The Tesla CEO walked on stage and shortly after was joined by Milei, who handed Musk the black chain saw as the crowd cheered.
“This is the chain saw for bureaucracy,” Musk yelled, as he held up the chain saw in front of the crowd.
Milei, who rose to prominence in Argentina with a vow to shake up the country’s government and economy, often wields a chain saw at political events, emblematic of his mission to cut large swaths of his country’s federal government.
Milei has reportedly been an inspiration behind DOGE, which set up shop in various federal agencies in what the Trump administration framed as an effort to eliminate waste, fraud and abuse in the government.
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