With stunning pace and the assist of President Trump, the billionaire Elon Musk and the workers of his newly created cost-cutting outfit have laid off 1000’s of federal staff, gutted the U.S. Company for Worldwide Growth, and placed on maintain dozens of well being analysis efforts.
A lot of these swift modifications to the federal paperwork are being challenged in court. And over the weekend some Republican members of Congress faced angry constituents throughout visits to their districts.
Reporters from The Occasions requested dozens of individuals of each events and across the nation about Mr. Musk’s function within the authorities up to now. Listed below are a few of the responses, from those that welcomed the swift actions, others who expressed concern and questioned Mr. Musk’s authority, and a few who appeared baffled by what the unelected businessman was doing.
Damian Conley, 51, Caledonia, Wis.
Voted for Trump in 2024
“If he’s doing what he says he’s doing — in search of authorities cuts and waste — I’m all for it, as a result of our deficit can’t preserve going the way in which it’s going once more,” Mr. Conley mentioned of Mr. Musk.
“If he’s, I don’t know, skirting the system and making an attempt to chop stuff that doesn’t should be lower, then I’m going to have issues with it.” Mr. Conley, who voted for Barack Obama earlier than sitting out 2016 and 2020, mentioned he was nonetheless ready and watching. “It’s too early within the presidency to know what’s going occur.”
Matt Shockley, 54, Tucker County, W.Va.
Voted for Trump
“He’s simply an worker,” mentioned Mr. Shockley of Mr. Musk: if he does a nasty job, they’ll hearth him. “Take note of what he’s doing, not what he’s saying and a few silly chain noticed he’s operating round with.”
Emily Ainaire, 33, Dover, N.H.
Voted for Kamala Harris
“I don’t perceive why there aren’t extra folks questioning it and simply letting it occur,” she mentioned. “He was simply dropped in there and everyone mentioned, ‘Positive.’”
David Hite, 63, Bay Space, Calif.
Voted for Harris
“Is he the proper man or the flawed man for that job? I don’t know, however choices have gotten to be made to scale back debt and spending,” Mr. Hite mentioned. “I’d similar to to see these choices be made transparently, actually well-explained, and the info that they’re seeing extra proactively accessible.”
Michael Borg, 61, Loudoun County, Va.
Voted for Trump
“I believe he’s highlighted some issues, like with U.S.A.I.D. and different businesses which are vital, however I additionally suppose that there are issues that U.S.A.I.D. has performed which are good,” mentioned Mr. Borg, who initially opposed Mr. Trump in 2015 earlier than supporting him in 2024. “There’s bought to be a stability. So, the pendulum for many years was in a single path, now it’s swung to a different. And I believe there’ll be a stability.”
Scott Meyer, 62, Davis, W.Va.
Voted for Trump
“I laughed so exhausting that they scream like they do concerning the ways in which Elon’s bought entry to your info,” mentioned Mr. Meyer. “Did folks neglect he did PayPal and all that stuff, and all the pieces else that they simply freely gave up? They didn’t take into consideration like while you signed up on Zelle to place cash in your cellphone. You simply gave all of it up, and also you give it up every day, with out a care on the earth.”
Maggie Keane, 32, Thomas, W.V.
Voted for Harris
“He’s not an elected official. It’s very a lot overstepping. Elon is only a wealthy man who’s taking management of issues, and that doesn’t really feel like democracy to me.”
Katrina Co, 43, Norcross, Ga.
Voted for Harris
“He has no enterprise gutting our authorities the way in which he’s doing. He and Donald Trump are actively dismantling the federal government for their very own twisted causes.”
Dannie Hinton, 60, Louisville, Ky.
Voted for Trump
“I’m torn,” mentioned Mr. Hinton, including that whereas he trusts Mr. Trump, Mr. Musk typically scared him. “He’s a enterprise man and a genius, however I don’t know what his intentions are. All people in politics must be extra clear about what they need.”
Elliot Baker, 75, Portsmouth, N.H.
Voted for Harris
“Elon Musk is a superb man, and we want good males. He’s a creator. He’s created a bunch of stuff which has benefited us. However he has, I believe, gotten caught up in his personal comedian e book. And energy, it does corrupt.”
Ken Gordon, 64, Monterey, Calif.
Didn’t vote
“In the event that they didn’t do it how they’re doing it, would we’ve gotten wherever?” mentioned Mr. Gordon, who voted for Mr. Trump in 2016, Mr. Biden in 2020, and didn’t vote in 2024. “Or would we simply be sitting round a desk with everyone hemming and hawing and speaking about doing one thing versus simply moving into there and slashing and burning what we have to slash and burn?”
He added: “If we’re mild, I don’t know if it might work.”
Bob Beaudette, 79, Phoenix, Ariz.
Voted for Trump
“If he’s actually discovering all this fraud, extra energy to him. Discovering Social Safety funds to people who find themselves over 100 years, if somebody nonetheless getting a paycheck, that’s ridiculous,” he mentioned, acknowledging that some claims about abuse, such because the checks to centenarians, had been disputed. “Hopefully the reality will emerge.”
Noah Beljaars, 21, Flagstaff, Ariz.
Voted for Harris
“My dad voted Republican and has a extra optimistic view of Musk. I believe what he’s doing is unconstitutional at greatest and he’s borderline fascist.”
Tim Schock, 58, Spring Valley, Calif.
Didn’t vote
“So it’s OK for us to go and get audited, however it’s not OK for the federal government to get audited? Too dangerous. As a result of I’m the employer, and so they’re the workers,” mentioned Mr. Schock, who mentioned he would have voted for Mr. Trump however was out of state in the course of the election. “If I’m getting 45 cents out of each greenback I make going over to this and this venture and that and that venture, nicely, I’ve the proper to know why, and the place it’s going. And if I don’t prefer it, then don’t ship it.”
Mariana Cardenas, 43, Chula Vista, Calif.
Didn’t vote
“I consider he’s a really good man for what he does. However I don’t suppose he belongs the place he’s at proper now,” mentioned Ms. Cardenas, a inexperienced card holder who immigrated from Mexico in 2000. “Like my grandma used to say, shoemaker must be making footwear. Shoemaker, return to creating footwear!”
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