Elon Musk didn’t hold back after U2 frontman Bono publicly criticized the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a program Musk once led. During an episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, Bono called DOGE’s global budget cuts “pure evil,” blaming them for triggering food shortages and potentially contributing to hundreds of thousands of deaths worldwide. Musk swiftly responded on X, calling Bono both a “liar” and an “idiot,” and vehemently denied that any deaths had resulted from the agency’s cost-cutting measures. He even referenced a South Park episode that mocked Bono as “the biggest piece of s*** in the world.”
Musk didn’t stop there. He turned his frustration toward the Trump administration, criticizing their newly passed budget bill for undoing much of DOGE’s efforts. Although he initially supported Trump, Musk told The Washington Post that the new legislation worsened the federal deficit instead of trimming unnecessary spending. He said DOGE had become a political scapegoat for the broader failures of the federal system and admitted that trying to reform government bureaucracy was far more difficult than he had anticipated.
The fiery exchange between Musk and Bono has reignited public debate over DOGE’s impact and the role of private figures in shaping public policy. While Bono accused the program of causing real human suffering, Musk doubled down on his defense, portraying DOGE as a misunderstood attempt to bring efficiency to bloated government systems. As tensions rise, both men remain firm in their beliefs—one fueled by humanitarian concerns, the other by a mission to disrupt what he sees as entrenched waste.