Over the last six weeks, Elon has seemed untouchable. With Trump’s blessings and a Republican Congress willing to provide cover, Elon has been slashing federal agencies to his heart’s content. However, this week, a momentum shift appears to have put Elon on the defensive.
To be fair, the mistakes have been glaring. The five largest claimed savings on the “Wall of Receipts” were incorrect and subsequently removed. The mistakes range from typos—such as mistakenly claiming billions in savings that were actually just millions—to more substantial miscalculations, like counting one contract multiple times, assuming the total possible allocation for a contract as the amount actually saved, and taking credit for canceling big-ticket items that were either completed and paid for years ago or scrapped during prior presidential terms.
Somehow, DOGE.gov has only increased its estimated savings, jumping from $65 billion last week to more than $100 billion this week. Those numbers are far beyond what the website actually shows. A closer look at the actual records reveals only about $30 billion in listed savings. However, the numbers are highly suspicious. The “Wall of Receipts” for real estate boasts nearly 500 million in savings, but the list of lease cancellations initially posted by the GSA was removed Wednesday with a promise to return. More than 1,000 of the contracts have either been modified or removed. Another 1,000 of the contracts listed show no savings at all. NPR’s Analysis confirms actual savings closure to 2.3 billion.
Protesters, holding banners, gather outside the Tesla showroom calling
for an end to Elon Musk's 'lawless actions' and influence on the US
government in Westmont, Illinois, on March 1, 2025. © Jacek
Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images
This week though, it's starting to seem like Elon is feeling the heat. There have already been attempts to cover for Elon in court by claiming he isn’t actually running DOGE. Polls on Elon a majority of American disapprove of his access and influence. His companies are taking a hit too, particularly Tesla. Sales are plummeting in Europe, and the stock is showing signs of wear. Some estimates suggest that Elon has lost about $100 billion in net worth since January. Regardless of what he believes people voted for, the chainsaw antics are turning off voters and costing him money.
Republicans are scrambling to protect him. Recently, they claimed that he is not actually in charge of DOGE, but that Amy Gleason is—despite Trump explicitly crediting Elon with leading the department during his speech to Congress this week, much to the chagrin of lawyers currently suing over the fact that Elon has not been formally appointed by Congress. Meanwhile, Republicans argue that Musk isn’t responsible for firing government employees; rather, they claim that federal agencies are the ones terminating workers—and, in fact, they’re doing it incorrectly. Rep. Andy Barr speculated that agencies are either being incompetent or attempting to sabotage Musk’s efforts by mass firing.
All roads lead to Rome as they say, and I guess in Rome, federal workers are always to blame.
Elon’s ducking and dodging is no surprise, nor his tactics. Recall that his defense in a lawsuit over running an illegal lottery was actually that it wasn’t a lottery because the winners were selected and not random. While he has capital to burn, the pressure is starting to get to him. It will be interesting to see how well he holds up while taking the heat for Trump. The shifting narrative around his actual role suggests that reality may finally be catching up with him.