Elon Musk’s Takeover of the Federal Government: A Coup in Progress?
The Unstoppable Force
Elon Musk has an uncanny ability to sort out which of America’s rules are real. It turns out punishment from the National Labor Relations Board isn’t real, punishment from NASA isn’t real, and punishment from the FAA isn’t real. The Delaware Chancery Court is extremely real. Based on the past two weeks, the Delaware Chancery Court may be the only real thing in the entire American government.
The Chaos Unfolds
Here’s a quick recap. While putative President Donald Trump was busy alienating allies through tariffs and wasting water in California, Musk pushed out the head of the FAA. Then the reports came fast and thick: Federal employees received a "fork in the road" email highly reminiscent of Musk’s Twitter ultimatum, encouraging them to resign, sent from an insecure server. A bunch of goons, some of them actual teenagers, reportedly got access to the US Treasury systems. (Read-only, reportedly, for now.) Longtime civil servants were locked out of the personnel systems that, by the way, house the personal data for government employees. Musk’s lackeys are in control of the Office of Personnel Management and the General Services Administration. They’ve gotten ahold of classified information, and are now shutting down the US Agency for International Development (USAID). Musk said he "spent the weekend feeding USAID into the wood chipper."
The Clear Goal: A Coup Over the Administrative State
Still, based on the events that have transpired so far, it seems the clear goal here amounts to a coup over the administrative state. My editor reminds me that many of you were not paying attention in civics class and so: our government’s famed checks and balances system relies on Congress controlling spending. Musk’s job was originally framed as making recommendations for programs that Congress could cut.
The Consequences
The most immediate consequences have been borne by USAID, whose programs include George W. Bush’s effort to care for HIV patients in Africa — one that is reputed to have saved 20 million lives so far. The building housing USAID has been shuttered. An email explaining the move attributed it to "agency leadership," and replies to the email "should be directed to an email address that appears to be associated with Gavin Kliger, whose LinkedIn profile identifies him as a special adviser to the director of the Office of Personnel Management and who works for DOGE," according to The Wall Street Journal.
The Real Question: Who Will Stop Him?
As for the Treasury stuff — well, if I were a government contractor that wasn’t SpaceX, I’d be nervous. I mean, if you upset Musk, do you think he’s going to pay out your contracts on time?
Conclusion
We are all supposed to pretend this is happening in the name of efficiency and cost-savings, and not as a way for Musk to pursue his shitty personal feuds. How posting to X at all hours of the day is efficient is a question I’m not sure anyone can answer, but then, it’s kind of one of the more minor questions in this scenario. And when I say "this scenario," I mean that Elon Musk is going to do whatever he wants, and post through it, and threaten anyone who tries to stop him with, apparently, a US attorney.
FAQs
Q: Is this really happening?
A: Yes, unfortunately, it is.
Q: What is the goal of Elon Musk’s actions?
A: It appears to be a coup over the administrative state.
Q: What are the consequences of Musk’s actions?
A: The most immediate consequences have been borne by USAID, whose programs include George W. Bush’s effort to care for HIV patients in Africa.
Q: Who will stop Elon Musk?
A: So far, it appears that no one will stop him.
Q: What does this mean for the future of the US government?
A: It’s unclear, but it’s likely to be disastrous.
