MSNBC guest gloats about Elon Musk’s departure from Trump White House

Author Anand Giridharadas claimed during Friday morning’s episode of “Morning Joe” that “democracy” chased Telsa CEO Elon Musk from his post in the Trump administration.

Musk announced Wednesday that he was stepping back from his White House role as an unpaid “special government employee,” where he headed the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which President Donald Trump established in a Jan. 20 executive order. Giridharadas claimed that the protests targeting Tesla and lawsuits helped lead to Musk’s departure.

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“He didn’t just leave, he’s not just slipping out of Washington,” Giridharadas told “Morning Joe” co-host Jonathan Lemire. “He was chased out of Washington by Democracy, by people saying no, by people protesting so much around his cars and dealerships that he lost billions and billions of dollars by people raising their voices, by people filing lawsuits.”

Special government employees can only serve for 130 days in a 365-day period, according to NPR. Musk would have to step down no later than Friday, based on him starting his work on Jan. 20, per a calculation by ConvertUnits.com.

DOGE identified $175 billion in savings since Trump established it, an average of $1,086.96 per taxpayer, according to the organization’s website. The department lists the savings it has identified on its website, breaking it down into contracts, leases and grants. It also breaks down spending, while providing information on the federal workforce and government regulations.

The White House plans to send Congress a rescissions package of over $9.5 billion Monday, codifying some of the cuts identified by DOGE. Vandalism directed at Tesla spiked due to Musk’s involvement with the Trump administration.

Attorney General Pam Bondi announced charges against three vandals that targeted Tesla that could lead to prison sentences of up to 20 years.

“Let this be a warning: if you join this wave of domestic terrorism against Tesla properties, the Department of Justice will put you behind bars,” Bondi said in a March 20 Justice Department release.

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