Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez criticised Elon Musk, describing him as “morally vacant” and “not smart” over his initiative to reduce US government spending by trillions of dollars.
“This dude is probably one of the most unintelligent billionaires I have ever met or seen or witnessed,” Ocasio-Cortez said during an Instagram live.

She further said that Musk ranks amongst the “least knowledgeable” individuals to be making decisions about the US government, particularly following his recent actions to dismantle USAID.
The Treasury Department has recently granted the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), now under Musk’s leadership, access to manage government benefits, grants and tax refund payments – a system traditionally operated by civil servants that oversees trillions in disbursements. On Monday, Musk announced receiving President Trump’s authorisation to discontinue the US Agency for International Development.
Meanwhile, President Trump on Monday said that Musk lacks the authority to act independently without his administration’s authorisation.
Earlier, Musk had announced to reduce annual government expenditure by $1 trillion to $2 trillion. This ambitious target would constitute up to 30% of yearly spending, following the federal government’s expenditure of $6.75 trillion in 2024. On Monday, he also shared an X post highlighting DOGE’s achievement in reducing government spending on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programmes by $1 billion.
These actions have sparked strong opposition from various media personalities and progressive politicians. Hillary Clinton criticised Musk on Monday, labelling him an “unelected oligarch”.
When Senator Chuck Schumer criticised these cuts on Monday, Musk responded by describing his reaction to DOGE’s spending reductions as “hysterical”.