Washington: Tech mogul Elon Musk has walked back from his viral appearance at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), where he wielded a giant chainsaw on stage alongside Argentine President Javier Milei. Months after the stunt made headlines, Musk now admits the act "lacked empathy", a rare moment of contrition as tensions with former ally Donald Trump spiral into an open feud.
The chainsaw moment, meant to symbolise drastic cuts to federal spending under the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which Musk briefly helmed, was once a rallying cry for the conservative base. But the Tesla CEO is now distancing himself from that image, saying it was an impulsive act that didn’t age well.
Musk's comments came after a user on X (formerly Twitter) criticised the spectacle, calling it foolish. Musk responded on Tuesday, July 1, saying, "Milei gave me the chainsaw backstage and I ran with it, but, in retrospect, it lacked empathy."
Have a look at their X exchange here:
The now-infamous act occurred in February, as Musk and Milei took the stage at CPAC amidst ongoing budget cuts. At the time, Musk was head of DOGE, a Trump-appointed role where he oversaw steep cuts to federal agencies. The image of Musk grinning with a chrome chainsaw became a viral symbol of the administration’s austerity.
But the political tides have shifted. Following Musk’s resignation over disagreements with Trump’s controversial "One Big, Beautiful Bill", a package projected to add $3 trillion to the national debt and gut social welfare, relations between the two billionaires have turned bitter.
Deportation Threats and a New Political Party?
On Tuesday, July 1, Trump publicly threatened to deport Musk and withdraw federal funding from his companies over Musk’s criticism of the bill. “We’ll have to take a look,” Trump told reporters when asked about the possibility of deportation, despite Musk having held US citizenship since 2002.
Musk, replying to a video of the threat, posted, “So tempting to escalate this. So, so tempting. But I will refrain for now.”
He has since floated the idea of creating a new political party, writing: “Time for a new political party that actually cares about the people.”
