Democrats are working on how to take on Elon Musk and his unprecedented efforts to remake the federal government.
Democrats have struggled to find their foothold in the second Trump presidency, despite Trump offering to buy hundreds of thousands of federal employees and trying to eliminate all parts of the government. did.
The mask was the point of Trump's spear as he and his government efficiency (DOGE) dig into federal agencies, seeking access to payment systems, and working to speak federal workers from work.
Musk openly enjoys his position on destroying the US International Development Agency (USAID), and over the weekend he says he's eating it to Wood Chipper instead of going to the party. .
With such efforts, Musk has become an attractive boogeyman for Democrats trying to pick up themselves from their November losses while dealing with Trump's presidency whipping.
However, many Democrats are not convinced that their party has not made another mistake by focusing on musks.
“Why are we so distracted here?” said one democratic strategist. “Our singular focus should be on the playing cards. It's not the shiny object that musk represents.”
“What is our focus here? I went back home in 2026 and said, “I can't do that!”
Some Republicans see masks as an effective lightning bolt for Trump, the abused man in place of the new president. This is a view that some Democrats share.
“Musk is a distraction,” said another Democrat donor. “We have to focus on the guy actually sitting in an oval office. It's not the Hollywood version of this.”
Certainly not the only person within the Democrats to cause disagreements.
Some Democrats believe the party needs to start a new start and are unhappy with leaders, including Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer (NY). Others say the party's message is completely off and they need to focus on issues that voters care about.
Some Democrats say masks are good foil. Because he is a well-known billionaire who has no contact with the unstable and everyday Americans.
These Democrats say he should be at the heart of their fire, as Doge is doing more harm than good.
The party's biggest power broker appears to share this view as the attacks on Musk escalated.
“Eron and Doge aren't going to solve all the problems, but that's certainly a great place to start,” said Democrat strategist Eddie Verele. “The average people, and even a lot of Maga people who like Trump, don't want to look at their tax returns and mess around with the system of sending social security checks.”
Another Democrat strategist added, “It's not helpful to have a villain that Democrats just chase, that they're particularly well-known and seemingly welcome to be a villain.”
In the House, party leaders and rank and file members are telegraphed.
Democrats on Thursday said in the words of Rep. Shawn Kasten (D-Ill.), one of the bill's sponsors, to protect taxpayer information from “Musk and His It Goons.” We have announced the designed proposal.
Leaders of the Congressional Progressive Caucus on Thursday also urged the party to use all the tools available to “dismiss” Musk.
Schumer took over as social platform X this week after opposing the mask business at a press conference.
“The unelected shadow government is making hostile federal takeovers,” Schumer wrote on his social media platform.
Democrats must be smarter in the way they chase Musk, some political observers say.
Susan Del Percio, a Republican strategist who has never supported Trump, said it's not enough for Democrats to target Musk. They also have to tie him to Trump in a concrete way.
“I understand why they are chasing Musk, but what will be over? How will it help them get what they want or hurt the president?” Del Persio said. Ta. “The thing we know is Donald Trump. It's Donald Trump who uses Elon Musk to get our most sensitive information.”
Delpersio added, “If Democrats are chasing Musk, they'll really chase him.”
“He has a lot of skeletons in his closet,” she said. “Trust him and connect him to Trump. “People who are looking at your personal information couldn't even get security clearance.” Lay out the people making these decisions and connect them to Trump. ”
Democrat strategist Linda Tran has repeatedly said that Democrats should “have in mind” that criticizing Musk herself is not enough. “They have to translate the annoying things about what he's doing and why it matters.”
Tran said the more Democrats focus on Musk's actions, the more they are “forced to force President Trump to assert his own authority, consciousness and recognition.”
So far, Democrats say the attacks are effective and refer to cratering Musk's poll numbers.
A new poll from Economist/Yougov on Thursday said 47% of Republicans surveyed wanted the Trump administration to have “many influence” Republican support for masks since November showed a dramatic decrease.
In that survey, 29% said they wanted to make a “slight” impact on the billionaire, while 12% said they wanted him to “not at all.”
However, this week's poll showed that the percentage of Republicans who wanted masks to have a “many impact” fall to 26%, with 43% of Republican respondents saying “a little” on masks It had an influence, with 17% hoping it would be “nothing at all.” ”
“You see the political responsibility he is becoming a Republican,” the Democratic strategist said.
Still, Del Persio said Democrats can't lose sight of the real foil: Trump.
“Masks are losing popularity. He's not a good person,” Del Percio said. “But even if he leaves, there's someone else trying to do it, so they have to chase after Trump.”
Mike Lilith contributed.
