Elon Musk wields ‘chainsaw of bureaucracy’ gifted by Argentina President, hints at more DOGE job cuts: Video

Billionaire and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who has emerged as a key advisor to US President Donald Trump and been tasked with slashing federal government spending, was spotted wielding a chainsaw at an event outside Washington on Thursday.

“This is the chainsaw for bureaucracy,” Musk declared, flaunting the red metallic power tool gifted to him by Argentina President Javier Milei earlier in the day.

Watch the video here:

The chainsaw was engraved with the President’s Spanish slogan “Viva la libertad, carajo”, which roughly translates to “Long live freedom, damn it”.

The Tesla and SpaceX CEO showed it off at the Conservative Political Action Conference in National Harbour, Maryland. Milei was also attending the conservative conference.

Musk appeared on stage at the conference wearing shades and his customary black “Make America Great Again” tshirt, and said Milei had a ‘gift’ for him. The Argentine liberal president then walked on to the stage and presented Musk with the power tool with the slogan.

Why the chainsaw?

Elon Musk spoke about the “crusade” that he has undertaken to address the inefficiency of the government and cut down on federal spendings through mass layoffs. The slogan also symbolised Musk’s stance on increasing government efficiency.

Elon Musk, as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has been on a job cutting spree to weed out excess spendings and save government money. The DOGE, set up by the Donald Trump administration, is a cost-cutting effort by the government.

Meanwhile, Musk has consistently promoted Milei’s speeches. Before Milei became Argentina's president in late 2023, he would often brandish a chainsaw at campaign rallies as a symbol of his drive to cut the size of government.

DOGE job cuts

At the event, Musk reiterated his stance on federal job cuts, hinting that he will not spare any federal agency.

When the event’s host and television Rob Schmitt asked him if he would consider auditing the Federal Reserve, Musk said, “Yeah, sure, while we are at it.”

“Waste is pretty much everywhere,” he added.

Musk has been on a federal job cutting spree, targeting bank regulators, forest workers, rocket scientists and tens of thousands of other government employees.

On Thursday, 6,000 employees in the U.S. Internal Revenue Service were told they would be fired, Reuters reported quoting sources.