A mix of mockery and confusion took over social media Tuesday night as Donald Trump declared during his first major address of his second term: “The days of rule by unelected bureaucrats are over."
The problem, as many Democratic lawmakers and political observers pointed out, was that Elon Musk – who Trump has single-handily empowered with making sweeping changes to the federal government through his newly-created Department of Government Efficiency initiative – was in the room as he delivered the line to a joint session of Congress.
“This is almost laughable,” Rep. Robin Kelly (D-IL) wrote on X. “Trump is the one who let an unelected billionaire bring the swamp of corruption right to the White House. Elon Musk is the unelected bureaucrat who must go.”
Her thoughts were echoed by Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), who asked her X followers: “What about unelected billionaire shadow president, Elon Musk?”
ALSO READ:'Absolutely unconscionable': Ex-Republican demands Trump removed from office after fight
“I agree with Donald Trump that an unelected bureaucrat should be fired,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) wrote in her own X post. “Let’s start with Elon Musk.”
Public health scientist Eric Feigl-Ding also referred to Musk as “Unelected President Musk” in a post on X, the social media platform owned by the tech billionaire and head of DOGE.
"All of the Republicans who for years railed about 'unelected bureaucrats' destroying the government are awfully quiet as an unelected bureaucrat destroys the government," professor and former Clinton administration Labor Secretary Robert Reich wrote in a social media post.
“Did he just fire Elon?” White House correspondent and political analyst Brian J. Karem asked on X. “He just said the days of unelected bureaucrats running the government are over. What's Elon?”
Sarah Longwell, a Republican Party pollster and founder and publisher of TheBulwark bluntly wrote on X: “Elon Musk is an unelected bureaucrat."
Trump made the remarks Tuesday as he called to "restore true democracy in America again," before threatening to remove from office “any bureaucrat who resists."
Watch the clip below or at this link.
Laughter breaks out after Trump says: The days of rule by unelected bureaucrats are over. pic.twitter.com/9s0TV2medd
— Acyn (@Acyn) March 5, 2025