Trump sparks liberal meltdown as he taps Elon Musk to 'dismantle' U.S. bureaucracy and nominates Fox News host Pete Hegseth to lead Department of Defense
Donald Trump sent liberals into meltdown mode after appointing Elon Musk to a new Department of Government Efficiency and Pete Hegseth as his new Secretary of Defense.
Donald Trump sent liberals into meltdown mode after appointing Elon Musk to a new Department of Government Efficiency and Pete Hegseth as his new Secretary of Defense.
Musk immediately took to X and said he wants to get rid of hundreds of government agencies as he smashed ahead with his ideas for the new DOGE.
Trump made the bombshell announcement Tuesday night saying Musk will co-lead the Manhattan Project of our time with former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.
Musk posted an interview he did with Tucker Carlson where he said: There are around 428 federal agencies. Theres so many that people have never even heard of. I think we should be able to get away with 99 agencies.
Musk added: 99 Federal agencies is more than enough, suggesting he plans to kill at least 329.
Donald Trump sent liberals into meltdown mode after appointing Elon Musk to a new Department of Government Efficiency and Pete Hegseth as his new Secretary of Defense
He added that he was not a threat to democracy but a threat to bureaucracy.
Ramaswamy added in a post of his own: We will not go gently, @ElonMusk.
Musk continued with his plans: All actions of the Department of Government Efficiency will be posted online for maximum transparency. Anytime the public thinks we are cutting something important or not cutting something wasteful, just let us know!
He also added that he will have a leaderboard for most insanely dumb spending of your tax dollars. This will be both extremely tragic and extremely entertaining.
Liberals on social media were furious about the appointment, with Elizabeth Warren writing: The Office of Government Efficiency is off to a great start with split leadership: two people to do the work of one person. Yeah, this seems REALLY efficient.
Another account added: lol were all gonna die arent we, cool cool cool.
However, others felt that the joke was on Musk and Ramaswamy as DOGE is not an official government department.
Alex Wagner on MSNBC cracked: Vivek Ramaswamy and Elon Musk [are] being offered jobs in a fantasy football league.
The appointment of Pete Hegseth as Trumps nominee for Secretary of Defense sent Democrats, including Warren, into a temper tantrum, as more was unveiled about his plans for the DOD
Former CNN anchor Don Lemon (pictured left) lost his mind in a video he posted about the appointment, thinking it was a joke until he saw Trumps statement, while Joy Reid on MSNBC (pictured right) appeared to be laughing to avoid going hysterical when she read the news
However, the appointment of Pete Hegseth as Trumps nominee for Secretary of Defense sent Democrats, including Warren, into a temper tantrum, as more was unveiled about his plans for the DOD.
Former CNN anchor Don Lemon lost his mind in a video he posted about the appointment, thinking it was a joke until he saw Trumps statement.
When I saw it, I thought The AP (Associated Press) must have been hacked. But Pete Hegseth? The morning, weekend host on Fox News? Come on.
Joy Reid on MSNBC appeared to be laughing to avoid going hysterical when she read the news.
The former and future president is moving quickly to fill the clown car and round out his cabinet before he changes his mind and fires them all. Moments ago Trump announced that he has selected Fox morning weekend host Pete Hegseth... because why not?
Dan Goldman, a Democrat Congressman from New York, told CNN that Hegseth is clearly a sycophant cheerleader of Trump.
Im shocked, truly. And this is exactly what we worried about and we warned about Donald Trump, which is that he is going to appoint unqualified loyalists to shape this government into his own personal fiefdom, and get revenge on generals and put essentially really unqualified people, he said.
Goldman added: I appreciate Mr. Hegseths service in our armed forces, but being a serviceman does not make you qualified to lead the Department of Defense and to have access to our nuclear weapons.
Trump made the bombshell announcement Tuesday night saying Musk will co-lead the Manhattan Project of our time with former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy
The 44-year-old deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan and won two Bronze Stars, then unsuccessfully ran for Senate in Minnesota in 2012 before joining Fox News
So, were replacing a former four-star general as Defense Secretary with… the weekend co-host of Fox and Friends? Unbelievable. Just... wow, wrote Chris D. Jackson, a Biden booster.
Elizabeth Warren once again chimed in: A Fox & Friends weekend co-host is not qualified to be the Secretary of Defense. I lead the Senate military personnel panel. All three of my brothers served in uniform. I respect every one of our servicemembers. Donald Trump’s pick will make us less safe and must be rejected.
While liberals were the most apoplectic, even some conservatives were confounded by the nomination.
From silly diner interviews on Weekend Fox and Friends to Secretary of Defense? Former Fox & Friends co-hos Gretchen Carlson wrote on X. Yes hes a veteran … and?
The reaction of Senate Republicans was a mix of confusion but also hopeful optimism.
Really? Id have to think about it, said Tommy Tuberville of Alabama.
Lisa Murkowski of Alaska said: Wow… Im just surprised because the names that Ive heard for Secretary of Defense have not included him.
Ted Budd of North Carolina, however, called Hegseth an impressive individual.
Donald Trump sent liberals into meltdown mode after appointing Elon Musk to a new Department of Government Efficiency
Hegseth has also suggested his plans for the office in an interview with Shawn Ryan, including getting rid of what he called woke s*** in the military.
Anyone involved in the woke sh*t has got to go...you have to reestablish that trust by putting in no-nonsense warfighters in those positions who arent going to cater to the socially correct garbage, he said.
Youre not training young officers to be baptized in this type of thinking. And then, you know, whatever the standards, whatever the combat standards were, say, and, I dont know, 1995, lets just make those the standards.;
He also suggested hiring the makers of Top Gun Maverick to create recruiting adds to motivate people to want to serve.
The 44-year-old deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan and won two Bronze Stars, then unsuccessfully ran for Senate in Minnesota in 2012 before joining Fox News.
Pete is tough, smart and a true believer in America First, Trump said in a statement, as he spent much of Tuesday adding to his cabinet.
The appointment comes just hours after former Democrat Congresswoman and Trump ally Tulsi Gabbard said shed wanted the job.
With Pete at the helm, America´s enemies are on notice - Our Military will be Great Again, and America will Never Back Down, Trump added.
Trump is rolling out a steady stream of appointees and nominees for his upcoming administration, working thus far at a faster pace and without as much drama as his first transition following his 2016 victory.
Hegseth, 44, is a co-host of Fox News Channel´s Fox & Friends Weekend and has been a contributor with the network since 2014, where he developed a friendship with Trump, who made regular appearances on the show.
He is also the author of The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free.
The book, according to its promo, combines his own war experiences, tales of outrage, and an incisive look at how the chain of command got so kinked, and bills itself as the key to saving our warriors - and winning future wars.
While the Pentagon is considered a key coveted post in any administration, the defense secretary was a tumultuous post during Trump´s first term.
Hegseth was an infantry captain in the Army National Guard and served overseas in Afghanistan, Iraq and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
He was formerly head of the Concerned Veterans for America, a group backed by conservative billionaires Charles and David Koch.
If confirmed by the Senate, he would inherit the top job during a series of global crises - ranging from Russia´s war in Ukraine and the ongoing attacks in the Middle East by Iranian proxies to the push for a cease-fire between Israel, Hamas and Hezbollah and escalating worries about the growing alliance between Russia and North Korea.
