Milei from Argentina Presents Musk with a ‘Chainsaw for Bureaucracy’
Argentine President Javier Milei has gifted Elon Musk a chainsaw, representing the billionaire's campaign against bureaucracy.. source:TROIB RTS
TroibNews 
The power tool popularized by the South American nation’s leader has become a symbol of his push to slash public spending.
Argentine President Javier Milei recently presented Elon Musk with a chainsaw, a gesture symbolizing their shared commitment to reducing government bureaucracy and cutting public spending.
Musk, an ally of former US President Donald Trump, who has been tasked with reducing federal government expenditures, made an appearance at the Conservative Political Action Conference outside Washington on Thursday. He waved the chainsaw enthusiastically as he took the stage.
The convention center audience erupted in applause, giving the Tesla and SpaceX CEO a standing ovation as he appeared alongside Milei, donning a black MAGA baseball cap and mirrored sunglasses.
“This is the chainsaw for bureaucracy!” Musk exclaimed, holding the power tool, which was engraved with Milei’s campaign slogan, “Viva la libertad, carajo.”
Milei, a libertarian economist known for his controversial policies, famously brandished a chainsaw during his 2023 presidential campaign to symbolize his goal of eliminating government departments and positions. After taking office, he enacted drastic economic measures aimed at stabilizing Argentina’s struggling economy, leading to widespread protests last year. However, in January, Argentina achieved its first annual budget surplus in over a decade.
Musk’s initiatives echo Milei’s approach. The billionaire leads the US Department of Government Efficiency, established by Trump to streamline federal operations and reduce $2 trillion in federal spending by 2026. Musk has claimed that up to $1 trillion in cuts might be achievable.
Since Trump took office on January 20, DOGE, which is not a permanent federal executive department despite its name, has implemented significant reductions, including the dismantling of the United States Agency for International Development and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Additionally, it has enforced stringent restrictions on National Institutes of Health grants as part of a broader strategy to curtail federal expenditures.
The DOGE has also rolled out an official website designed to track the federal workforce and document regulatory measures, claiming to have identified an estimated $55 billion in savings since its inception.
This week, the DOGE asserted that it uncovered a nearly $5 trillion discrepancy in US federal spending, alleging that Treasury records have rendered some payments untraceable.
Milei arrived in Washington on Thursday amid a growing scandal surrounding the $Libra cryptocurrency, which he promoted last Friday on his X account. This controversy has led to legal complaints and calls for his impeachment in Argentina’s Congress.
The self-described anarcho-capitalist was also among the first foreign leaders to visit Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida following the Republican’s victory in the 2024 election.
Emily Johnson for TROIB News
Argentine President Javier Milei recently presented Elon Musk with a chainsaw, a gesture symbolizing their shared commitment to reducing government bureaucracy and cutting public spending.
Musk, an ally of former US President Donald Trump, who has been tasked with reducing federal government expenditures, made an appearance at the Conservative Political Action Conference outside Washington on Thursday. He waved the chainsaw enthusiastically as he took the stage.
The convention center audience erupted in applause, giving the Tesla and SpaceX CEO a standing ovation as he appeared alongside Milei, donning a black MAGA baseball cap and mirrored sunglasses.
“This is the chainsaw for bureaucracy!” Musk exclaimed, holding the power tool, which was engraved with Milei’s campaign slogan, “Viva la libertad, carajo.”
Milei, a libertarian economist known for his controversial policies, famously brandished a chainsaw during his 2023 presidential campaign to symbolize his goal of eliminating government departments and positions. After taking office, he enacted drastic economic measures aimed at stabilizing Argentina’s struggling economy, leading to widespread protests last year. However, in January, Argentina achieved its first annual budget surplus in over a decade.
Musk’s initiatives echo Milei’s approach. The billionaire leads the US Department of Government Efficiency, established by Trump to streamline federal operations and reduce $2 trillion in federal spending by 2026. Musk has claimed that up to $1 trillion in cuts might be achievable.
Since Trump took office on January 20, DOGE, which is not a permanent federal executive department despite its name, has implemented significant reductions, including the dismantling of the United States Agency for International Development and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Additionally, it has enforced stringent restrictions on National Institutes of Health grants as part of a broader strategy to curtail federal expenditures.
The DOGE has also rolled out an official website designed to track the federal workforce and document regulatory measures, claiming to have identified an estimated $55 billion in savings since its inception.
This week, the DOGE asserted that it uncovered a nearly $5 trillion discrepancy in US federal spending, alleging that Treasury records have rendered some payments untraceable.
Milei arrived in Washington on Thursday amid a growing scandal surrounding the $Libra cryptocurrency, which he promoted last Friday on his X account. This controversy has led to legal complaints and calls for his impeachment in Argentina’s Congress.
The self-described anarcho-capitalist was also among the first foreign leaders to visit Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida following the Republican’s victory in the 2024 election.
Emily Johnson for TROIB News
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