Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) defended tech billionaire Elon Musk and slammed House Republicans for failing to codify cuts made by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Musk appears to have publicly taken a step back from DOGE and national politics as he pledges to be “super focused” on his own businesses. House Republicans have faced some criticism from DOGE supporters who are upset that the House GOP did not try to codify the massive cuts the non-governmental agency made to the government.
DeSantis ridiculed House Republicans for not doing so in a Tuesday post to social media platform X and suggested they have betrayed their own constituents.
“.@elonmusk took massive incoming — including attacks on his companies as well as personal smears — to lead the effort on @DOGE,“ DeSantis wrote on X.
“He became public enemy #1 of legacy media around the world.To see Republicans in Congress cast aside any meaningful spending reductions (and, in fact, fully fund things like USAID) is demoralizing and represents a betrayal of the voters who elected them,” he added.
DeSantis responded to a post from X user Matt Van Swol, whose social media posts show that he has been a vocal supporter of DOGE cuts and Musk’s efforts to reduce the size of the government.
“DOGE is literally one of the most popular government initiatives in history.73% of Americans say they support cutting government waste.Trump brought in the smartest man on earth to do it……the Left destroyed Elon for it…the GOP won’t vote on it,“ Van Swol wrote on X. ”I can’t believe this."
Musk also responded to Van Swol’s post with a three-word answer: “Did my best”.
Musk, the richest person in the world, emerged as a top supporter and adviser to President Donald Trump during the 2024 campaign where he spent an estimated $250 million to back the then-Republican candidate. However, he signaled last week that he will be spending less on political campaigns in the future.
“I think in terms of political spending, I’m going to do a lot less in the future,” Musk said during the Qatar Economic Forum.
When asked why, he said: “I think I’ve done enough...if I see a reason to do political spending in the future, I will do it. I do not currently see a reason.”
Musk might be distancing himself from Trump and U.S. politics since he has faced widespread backlash over his role at DOGE.
Tesla dealerships have been sites of mass protests for months as demonstrators railed against his involvement in the Trump administration. In addition, Tesla stock price plummeted in recent months as the company reported fewer sales in the first quarter of 2025 than it did last year.
Musk’s distance from the Trump administration may also be politically motivated. Many polls show that many Americans disapproved of Musk’s role in the administration. He also heavily involved himself in a Wisconsin Supreme Court race earlier this year, but ultimately, the candidate he backed lost to the Democratic incumbent.
A new analysis from Politico found that Trump has ceased posting about Musk on his social media platform Truth Social in recent weeks. While he used to post about Musk every few days, Politico found that Trump has not posted about the billionaire in more than a month.
Stories by Lauren Sforza
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