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OXON HILL, Maryland — A political backlash is sneaking up on billionaire Elon Musk and President Donald Trump across America as they take an ax to the government.
But inside the gleeful halls of the Conservative Political Action Conference, the vanguard of the Republican Party couldn’t care less.
At the annual gathering of conservatives inaugurated by Ronald Reagan, attendees are buying up Musk-related merchandise and the tech mogul is being feted as a chainsaw-wielding warrior taking on the deep state on behalf of Trump. If that gets a little messy sometimes, it’s just part of the process.
“Childbirth isn't fun, but it's necessary for the perpetuation of the species, right? I love what he's doing. He's a smarter guy than I am,” said Mark McCloskey, the attorney who became a celebrity on the right after he and his wife brandished guns at protesters in St. Louis in 2020. “I can tell you this, that it's going to transform the country. He and Donald Trump are going to make all the difference in the world.”
That transformation has come at a cost. A survey by The Washington Postfound that only 34 percent of respondents approved of Musk’s role in the Trump administration. Fifty-four percent in a CNN poll said it was a negative that Trump gave Musk such a prominent position and 51 percent said the president had gone too far in cutting the government.
Mercedes Schlapp, the host of CPAC and former Trump aide, shrugged off the surveys in an interview.
“Elon Musk is delivering on behalf of President Trump and his mandate to remove waste and corruption and fraud out of the federal government,” she said. “For too long, the American taxpayers did not know how our money was being spent. And we're finding out that there's a chunk of this money that's been going to this leftist propaganda, not only here in America, but across the globe. And so you need to see significant changes in that.”
On Thursday, Musk received a hero’s welcome during his first appearance at CPAC. The crowd erupted in a standing ovation when he appeared onstage for a sit-down interview with Newsmax host Rob Schmitt. Argentine President Javier Milei even bequeathed him a gilded chainsaw. Later, he was given a sci-fi-themed portrait of himself.
During an eccentric performance, Musk wore sunglasses and a gold chain, and declared “I am become meme.”
Sandy Schoepke, owner of a merchandise booth at CPAC, said a version of the black MAGA hat worn by Musk was “selling like hot cakes.” The salon Sovereign House is hosting an “appreciation party” in Washington for the Department of Government Efficiency on Saturday.
And Musk was a near-constant topic of conversation, with everyone from Attorney General Pam Bondi to former Arizona Senate candidate Kari Lake to ex-British Prime Minister Liz Truss praising him in speeches and other events.
Bondi hailed “my buddy's great work.” Truss said “we want Elon Musk and his nerd army of Muskrats examining the British deep state.”
Even Steve Bannon, the former top Trump aide who has harshly criticized Musk in recent days, largely pulled punches against him in a CPAC talk on Thursday. He called Musk “Superman” — a stark difference from when he blasted him as a “parasitic illegal immigrant” days earlier.
But there are signs that Musk’s efforts could come back to haunt Trump and Republicans in the 2026 midterms. Battleground voters are jamming their congressional members’ phone lines and dressing them down in public over the slashing and burning of the bureaucracy.
Rep. Rich McCormick, a Republican representing a solidly red district in Georgia, faced constituents at a Thursday town hall who were incensed over Musk and Trump’s cuts.
In North Carolina, residents are calling their lawmakers in Washington to complain about Musk and DOGE, often receiving busy signals because so many people are trying to reach them.
At CPAC, Maurice Lapointe, co-creator of the Patriots Prayer Network — a collection of conservative podcasters — wasn’t worried about the pushback. LaPointe, who goes by “Native Patriot” online and was wearing a feathered MAGA headdress, said “it's inevitable that you're going to face it when you're exposing a lot of where our tax dollars have been going.”
But there was a hint of skepticism about Musk. Lapointe expressed anxiety about the CEO’s businesses amassing sensitive data.
“Centralization of data collection from Elon Musk, whether it be from Tesla, eventually Neuralink, and the way he wants to integrate X into the banking system, is a little worrying,” he said. “I'm not really worried about him knowing my Social Security number, but I'm more so worried about the centralization of power.”
Michael O'Neil, an attendee wearing a shirt with guns emblazoned on a map of America and the slogan "My rights don't end where your feelings begin," likewise felt some trepidation about Musk.
“I do believe there should be some parameters — a leash to make sure that the dog doesn't attack,” he said.
But, he added, “So far, I like what he's doing.”
Ben Jacobs contributed to this report.
