Billionaire Elon Musk, assigned to help cut U.S. federal government spending, took the stage at a conservative conference near Washington on Thursday, wielding a chainsaw gifted by Argentina's far-right President Javier Milei.
"This is the chainsaw for bureaucracy," said Musk, holding the gleaming power tool aloft at the Conservative Political Action Conference in National Harbor, Maryland.
The red metallic chainsaw, given to Musk by Milei earlier in the day, was engraved on its side with the Argentine leader's coarse Spanish slogan: "Viva la libertad, carajo," which loosely translates to "Long live freedom, damn it!"
Musk is leading sweeping cuts under U.S. President Donald Trump that have targeted bank regulators, forest workers, rocket scientists and tens of thousands of other government employees.
On Thursday, 6,000 employees at the U.S. Internal Revenue Service were told they would be fired, a person familiar with the matter said.
Musk, the CEO of automaker Tesla and the world's richest man, has enthusiastically promoted Milei's speeches.
Before Milei became Argentina's president in late 2023, he would often brandish a chainsaw at campaign rallies as a symbol of his drive to cut the size of government.
