After nearly three weeks in the minority, Democrats have found a unifying target: Elon Musk.
This week, the party and its allied groups launched a coordinated push against Musk, who has emerged as a key player in President Donald Trump’s administration. Protesters have gathered outside agencies impacted by Musk’s newly formed Department of Government Efficiency, while Democratic lawmakers have held rallies and press conferences labeling him an “unelected billionaire.” In Congress, they have introduced legislation aimed at countering the administration’s sweeping efforts to dismantle federal agencies and push out career government employees.
The mobilization follows weeks of Democratic uncertainty over how best to confront Trump’s second-term agenda after a bruising election in which Republicans not only retained the House but also flipped the Senate. Trump also made surprising inroads with key Democratic voter blocs, leaving the opposition party searching for an effective line of attack.
For Democrats, Musk has become both a symbolic villain and a tangible representation of billionaire influence in the new administration. A recent Quinnipiac poll found that 53% of voters disapprove of Musk’s prominent role in the government, a figure that includes 90% of Democrats, 56% of independents, and even 19% of Republicans.
In the weeks leading up to Trump’s inauguration, Democrats mocked Musk as the true power behind the presidency, especially after he helped derail a bipartisan spending deal. President Joe Biden warned at the time of the “dangerous concentration of power in the hands of a very few ultra-wealthy people,” describing Musk’s ascent as part of a growing oligarchy in America. The Tesla and SpaceX CEO, who poured $290 million into Trump’s re-election and other Republican campaigns, was given a prime seat at the inauguration, alongside fellow billionaires Mark Zuckerberg of Meta and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.
Now, less than three weeks into the new administration, Musk’s aggressive push to shrink the federal government has given Democrats the confrontation they were looking for.
“This fight isn’t just about USAID or the Department of Education—it’s about whether the people and their elected representatives should govern, or whether the richest man in the world gets to call all the shots,” said Rep. Greg Casar, a Texas Democrat, in an interview with CNN. “This is exactly the fight Democrats need to pick to win back undecided voters.”
A lack of oversight
Democrats had been slow to mount a strong response to President Donald Trump’s second-term agenda—until now. Leah Greenberg, co-executive director of the grassroots Indivisible Project, described their early reaction as “sluggish” but said the party is finally stepping up.
“Our message to Democrats is simple: If this is a crisis, act like it’s a crisis,” Greenberg said. “We have to make it absolutely clear that this is not normal.”
That sense of urgency has fueled a growing backlash against Elon Musk, the billionaire entrepreneur who now leads Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Democratic lawmakers, progressive groups, and government watchdogs have strongly condemned Musk’s efforts to dismantle the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and slash the federal workforce by offering financial incentives to employees who agree to resign—part of a controversial plan that Congress has not authorized.
At the center of the controversy is Musk’s team gaining access to the Treasury Department’s payment system, which disburses critical federal funds, including tax refunds and Social Security checks. Critics warn that DOGE personnel now have visibility into the private financial data of millions of Americans, raising concerns over potential misuse or interference.
“Is Musk using his access to extraordinary amounts of confidential data to benefit his own personal interests? We don’t know,” Greenberg said. “And we have no reason to assume good faith, because at the same time, he and his allies are dismantling every check and balance that could hold them accountable.”
Congressional Pushback and GOP Defense
The administration’s unilateral approach has drawn sharp criticism from Sen. Bernie Sanders, a longtime opponent of billionaire influence in politics.
“If the president wants to shut down USAID, he can have one of his Republican friends introduce legislation and let it be debated,” Sanders said. “It will not pass, but at least it will follow the democratic process. What he cannot do is grant that power to an unelected official like Mr. Musk.”
House Democrats attempted to subpoena Musk as part of an Oversight Committee investigation, but Republicans blocked the effort on Wednesday. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called the situation “a dangerous precedent” and warned that DOGE is operating “without oversight, with access to sensitive data, and with no clear limits on its power.”
Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries introduced the “Stop the Steal” Act on Tuesday, a bill aimed at preventing “unlawful meddling in the Treasury Department’s payment systems” and ensuring safeguards against financial interference by DOGE and Musk.
The White House, however, has dismissed Democratic concerns, insisting that DOGE employees only have “read-only” access to financial data and that Musk is operating “in full compliance with federal law and appropriate security protocols.” A White House official defended Musk’s role, saying opposition from Democrats comes from “entrenched bureaucrats who resist change.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt added that Musk would recuse himself from areas where he has conflicts of interest.
“President Trump campaigned across the country with Elon Musk, promising that together they would root out wasteful spending and hold the federal government accountable to taxpayers,” Leavitt said.
Republicans have pushed back against Democrats’ claims that “No one voted for Elon Musk.” Vice President JD Vance responded on social media:
“They did, however, vote for Donald Trump—who promised repeatedly to have Elon Musk clean up government waste.”
With both sides digging in, the battle over Musk’s influence in the Trump administration appears far from over.
‘Not on the bingo card’
For some Democrats—especially those in Republican-leaning districts—Elon Musk has become a more useful political opponent than President Trump himself.
“My constituents, and a majority of this country, elected Trump—not some unelected, eccentric billionaire,” Rep. Jared Golden of Maine posted on X, the platform Musk owns. Golden, one of about a dozen Democrats representing districts Trump won, criticized Musk for overstepping his role in the administration.
“Musk is stepping on the president’s toes—making decisions without his approval, pushing his own agenda. If I had an employee who sidelined me the way Musk is sidelining Trump, I wouldn’t just sit back and take it.”
Pat Dennis, president of the Democratic super PAC American Bridge 21st Century, said that while Trump remains Democrats’ primary focus, Musk is emerging as a serious liability for the administration.
“Musk is acting like someone gave Paul Ryan a truckload of stimulants and set him loose in the government,” Dennis said, referring to the former House speaker known for his aggressive spending cuts. “This is fiscal slash-and-burn with no regard for the impact on everyday people—the exact kind of thing Trump claimed to oppose.”
Some Democratic strategists believe Musk’s role in the administration presents an opportunity to rally public concern. One advisor to multiple Democratic donors put it bluntly:
“We need to be telling people, ‘Elon Musk now has your Social Security number.’”
As Musk’s influence continues to grow, Democrats appear increasingly willing to make him a central figure in their opposition strategy.
Democratic officials are still coming to terms with the rapid and unexpected moves of the new Trump administration. While they had anticipated a range of challenges in the first 100 days, one Democratic strategist admitted that “Elon Musk taking over the government payment systems was not on the bingo card.”
“It’s only been two weeks, and it’s worse than we thought,” the strategist added.
Meanwhile, organized labor is mobilizing against Musk’s growing influence. On Wednesday, the AFL-CIO—the nation’s largest federation of unions—launched a campaign called “The Department of People Who Work for a Living” to push back against the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
“If Elon Musk can invent his own government department, so can workers,” AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler told CNN.
Calling Musk’s unchecked authority “unprecedented,” Shuler warned that the billionaire’s influence over federal agencies is reshaping government in ways never seen before.
The AFL-CIO campaign—expected to include digital ads and direct mail—aims to hold Musk “accountable” by highlighting the real-world impact of DOGE’s policies. Shuler pointed to workers who may be directly affected, from air traffic controllers responsible for aviation safety to miners who rely on protections from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
“These aren’t just sleepy, outdated agencies,” Shuler said. “These are real people, with real jobs, protecting real lives.”
With both Democratic leaders and labor unions sharpening their attacks, Musk is quickly becoming a central figure in the opposition to Trump’s second-term agenda.