While federal employees might be SHOOK by the recent mass firings, President Donald Trump is boosting his buddy Elon Musk and his DOGE work. On Saturday (February 22), the president publicly congratulated himself for “dominating” Washington. His energy at the Conservative Political Action Conference comes after he praised Musk’s work on social media while urging him to be “more aggressive.”
Meanwhile, the Department of Government Efficiency is demanding thousands of federal employees explain their productivity in the last week. If they don’t, workers could lose their jobs. We’re now 33 days into a month of Trump’s second term leading the United States.
Donald Trump Wants MORE Aggression From Elon
Donald revealed his impression of Elon and the DOGE’s work so far on Truth Social early Saturday. He wrote, “ELON IS DOING A GREAT JOB, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE HIM GET MORE AGGRESSIVE. REMEMBER, WE HAVE A COUNTRY TO SAVE, BUT ULTIMATELY, TO MAKE GREATER THAN EVER BEFORE. MAGA!”
Elon’s reaction to Donald’s shoutout? “So awesome,” the X owner wrote on his platform.
While speaking at the conversation conference later Saturday, President Trump stood on his vision for the country. He said, “We’re going to forge a new and lasting political majority that will drive American politics for generations to come.”
Trump has said that voters gave him an order to overhaul the government while cracking down on the U.S.-Mexico border and extending tax cuts. For context, cuts were the signature policies of his first administration. Trump clicked easily back into campaign mode during his hour-plus speech. He predicted that the GOP would continue to win and defy history. Regarding Republicans, he said: “I don’t think we’ve been at this level, maybe ever.”
“Nobody’s ever seen anything like this,” Trump said, comparing his new administration’s opening month to being on a roll through the first four holes of a round of golf. He’s confident about the fifth hole.
Musk Warned Of More Firings, Then Employees Got THIS Email
President Donald Trump has given Elon Musk the power to help carry out the federal firings. Like the president, the billionaire has been using his social platform to make major announcements, including on Saturday. He warned more federal firings will go down if employees fail to explain their work achievements from the last week.
A short time later, an “HR” email was sent to federal workers across numerous agencies. It asked, “What did you do last week?” and asked that recipients “reply with approx. 5 bullets of what you accomplished last week and cc your manager.” It cautioned against sending classified information and gave a deadline of Monday at 11:59 p.m. ET.
McLaurine Pinover, a spokesperson at the Office of Personnel Management, confirmed Musk’s directive and said that individual agencies would “determine any next steps.” So, what happens if an employee is on leave or vacation? Again, she said individual agencies would determine how to proceed.
DOGE Hits A Major Block…For Now
Despite Trump emboldening Elon and the DOGE, they have come up against SOME blocks. One example happened this past Friday when a federal judge in Manhattan extended a ban on the DOGE accessing sensitive Treasury Department information. We say some because, at the same time, the judge rejected broader restrictions.
Judge Jeannette A. Vargas initially imposed the ban earlier this month. On Friday, Vargas issued a preliminary injunction but said she may lift it if the Treasury Department certifies by March 24 that DOGE members have received required cybersecurity training.
Vargas said DOGE’s efforts to modernize Treasury payment systems were not undercut by the delay, which she said was meant to ensure the security of sensitive personal data for millions of Americans.
“Without addressing these issues, the potential consequences of a cybersecurity breach could be catastrophic,” Vargas wrote in a 64-page ruling.
The attorneys general had sought to ban Musk’s DOGE team from developing automated or manual processes to halt payments flowing through the Treasury Department’s payment systems.
Vargas said that rather than “broad and sweeping relief,” she opted for a “narrowly tailored” remedy to address concerns that private banking data could become exposed in a data breach.
Elon Musk Is Slashing Jobs At The Agency That Oversees Car Safety
Speaking of power, here’s a fact to track. According to AP, Elon Musk’s DOGE is eliminating jobs at the vehicle safety agency that oversees Tesla. Additionally, it has launched investigations into deadly crashes involving his company’s cars.
The staff reductions have come through a combination of firings, buyouts, and layoffs. The agency noted in its statement that the Biden administration had expanded its payroll. It suggested the smaller staff was sufficient to carry out its mission.
“Even with these modest efficiencies, NHTSA is still considerably larger today than it was four years ago,” the statement said. “We have retained positions critical to the mission of saving lives, preventing injuries, and reducing economic costs due to road traffic crashes.”
Musk has previously accused the NHTSA of holding back progress on self-driving technology with its investigations and recalls. Investigations aside, the agency also mandates Tesla and other automakers to use self-driving technology to report crash data on vehicles. Tesla has criticized that requirement in the past, and critics fear the mandate could be eliminated.
When asked whether the cuts would impact any probes into Tesla, the agency referred to its statement that it will “enforce the law on all manufacturers of motor vehicles and equipment.”
Wilding On Social Media? Ask The White House.
Like Donald and Musk, the White House has been in hot water recently for its social media postings, too. On Valentine’s Day, the official WH Instagram account used Valentine’s Day imagery to push a bold message about immigration.
This past week, the same account pushed out a TIME-inspired magazine cover proclaiming President Donald Trump a “king.” Given that we live in a democratic land, that imagery evoked thousands of mixed reactions, going viral among Americans on social media.
Associated Press staff, including Will Weissert, Adriana Gomez Licon, Steve Peoples, and Chris Megerian, contributed to this report.