Corporate Media Went Into Full Meltdown Mode Over Elon’s Chainsaw Moment [WATCH]

Elon Musk’s surprise appearance at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on Thursday stirred backlash from corporate media figures after he took the stage wielding a chainsaw.

The Tesla and SpaceX CEO, who received the prop as a gift from Argentinian President Javier Milei to symbolize the dismantling of government bureaucracy, was criticized for what some commentators called an “insensitive” and “dangerous” display.

NEW: Elon Musk comes out on stage at CPAC 2025 and is presented a golden chainsaw by Argentinian President, Javier Milei, and yells, “THIS IS THE CHAINSAW FOR BUREAUCRACY!” pic.twitter.com/Rms8WujLZV

— Autism Capital (@AutismCapital) February 20, 2025

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Musk’s chainsaw moment came amid ongoing layoffs in the federal government under the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which Musk has been leading.

The agency has overseen significant reductions in federal employment as part of an effort to cut wasteful spending. The corporate media, however, framed the cuts as reckless and harmful, with some commentators drawing extreme comparisons.

CNN’s Brianna Keilar criticized Musk’s use of the chainsaw, suggesting it was inappropriate given the widespread government layoffs.

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CNN political commentator Van Jones went further, accusing Musk and President Donald Trump of creating “complete chaos” for working Americans.

“There’s a smart way and a dumb way to do anything,” Jones said.

“And what they’re doing by the Nazi salute and the chainsaws is they want us talking about stuff that at the end of the day doesn’t matter, we won’t remember in a week. Here’s what’s not gonna be forgotten. There are hardworking veterans in the United States right now who are having a hard time seeing a doctor because there’s been so much chaos in our government. There are nurses, there are people who are trying to keep our water safe … there’s complete chaos.”

Jones argued that Musk and Trump are “hurting people” by shrinking the federal government. “Is there waste, fraud and abuse? There is in every country. But you cut it with a scalpel, you don’t cut it with a chainsaw,” he added.

NEW: CNN’s Van Jones rages at Elon Musk, claiming he’s “abandoning” his children and doing “theatrics” as he puts a chainsaw to the government “our parents” built.

“You unleash somebody who’s doing theatrics and abandoning his own children and having some weird fantasy in front… pic.twitter.com/U3eNpJZffD

— The Vigilant Fox (@VigilantFox) February 21, 2025

MSNBC’s Ari Melber expressed concern over Musk’s CPAC appearance and accused him of spreading false claims about Democrats allowing illegal immigrants to vote.

“In a sign of the time in an election where conservatives did very well, you can sort of see the vibes, there’s Elon Musk doing his thing like acting like with the chain, the political rockstar he wants to be,” Melber remarked.

Meanwhile, MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough suggested that Musk was “proud” to be endangering American lives by supporting government spending cuts.

“Show that picture of Elon Musk again if you will, you might as well just send that to Democrats for the 2026 campaign,” Scarborough said, linking the chainsaw imagery to reductions in funding for medical research, air safety, and government services.

The Independent ran a Friday headline drawing comparisons between Musk’s chainsaw stunt and the 1974 horror film Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

The article quoted social media users who likened Musk’s act to fictional serial killer Leatherface.

Ashley Allison, a former senior policy adviser in the Obama White House, claimed Musk’s performance made light of the alleged suffering caused by government cuts.

“That show is going on tour, it is coming to an American city near you and they are going to cut your Social Security, they’re going to cut your Medicaid, they’re gonna cut your Medicare, your Section 8, and you’re not gonna get money, your prices are not going to go down,” she said on The Source with Kaitlan Collins.

CNN’s Abby Phillip echoed similar sentiments, arguing that the government reductions have been carried out with “utter chaos” and “little care.”

She cited anonymous sources describing emotional scenes at federal agencies where laid-off employees were allegedly seen “crying, kicking chairs, and throwing books.”

Since Trump’s return to office on January 20, DOGE has overseen the layoffs of over 200,000 federal employees across multiple agencies.

The IRS has let go between 120 and 150 probationary employees in Denver, while the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has dismissed around 300 workers.

The Department of Education has also reduced staff as part of the effort to streamline federal operations.

While corporate media critics have focused on the layoffs, mass firings are far more common in the private sector than in government.

In 2024 alone, 16.4 million private-sector workers were laid off or discharged, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

At the end of Joe Biden’s administration, there were a record 23.5 million government employees across federal, state, and local levels.

Federal employment reached its peak in May 1990 with 3.4 million workers, but Musk’s DOGE initiative has sought to reduce the federal workforce to pre-pandemic levels.

DOGE has also eliminated funding for controversial foreign aid programs, including U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) initiatives that spent billions on left-wing causes abroad.

These included funding sex-change operations in Guatemala and distributing over 60 million condoms and IUDs overseas.

Despite media backlash, Musk defended the reductions at CPAC, arguing that cutting bureaucratic waste will help stabilize Social Security and Medicare by reducing the national debt.

Trump also reaffirmed in an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity that cuts to Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare are “off the table.”

Musk’s CPAC appearance and the resulting controversy highlight the ongoing battle over the size and role of the federal government, with conservatives pushing for fiscal responsibility while media outlets and left-wing figures warn of economic and social consequences.

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