Former Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) – a moderate Democrat who failed to nominate the party's president in 2024 – is a former party colleague who has a federal government over the broad efforts of billionaire Elon Musk He criticized the way he reconstructed the .
In an interview with CNN's Laura Coates on Wednesday, Phillips said it's wrong for Democrats to attack Musk's Government Efficiency (DOGE), with Americans saying billionaire to cut government waste, fraud and abuse He claimed to have broad support for the rich man's goals. Some of his tactics raised legal concerns.
“The Democrats are focusing solely on Musk for now. The fact of the matter, he is extremely popular. He has the largest platform in human history. This is, of course, Twitter/X. And I think we're missing the boat as Democrats,” Phillips said in an interview.
“And what I'm saying is that sometimes it's better to join them and actually play a role in how the strategy actually works. “And Democrats are steaming. And I'm deeply concerned about it.”
Several Democrats joined Doge Caucus in the first session of Congress late last year, but have since been blocked from debate on spending, saying Musk is operating without Congressional opinion. Masu.
Phillips acknowledged legal concerns about some of Musk's actions.
“Yes, masks are not selected,” Phillips said. “He's not accountable. [President] Donald Trump, and that's a scary combination, and I don't want to cross my fingers. I think Democrats should join the club and have more credibility than actually alerting them about constitutional issues. Now it's “The Boy Who Cryed a Wolf.” ”
Asked what Democrats should do to get the right course, Phillips nodded back to his 2024 campaign.
“Frankly, I wish the course revisions had happened a year and a half ago when I tried to raise an alarm about Joe Biden,” Phillips said. “These are the same Democrats – and many of them I love, and I think of my friends, but they told the Americans that Joe Biden was fine and he was going to win. They are the same people who tried to convey it.
“So now it's a big mistake to make government work more efficient in order to establish credibility on issues that Americans actually voted for,” he said.
