‘Saved the country’: CPAC attendees see silver lining after Elon Musk’s DOGE speech

Elon Musk’s remarks at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Thursday drew praise from those who were pleased with the cuts being made by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

“I wasn’t really that interested in being political. It’s just like there was at a certain point no choice,” Musk said at the event in Maryland while wearing a black MAGA hat and sunglasses. “The actions that we’re taking, with the support of the president and the support of the agencies, is what will save Medicare, what will save Social Security.”

“That’s the reason I’m doing this,” he added. “Because I was looking at the big picture here, and it’s like, man, it’s getting out of control.” 

ELON MUSK MAKES SURPRISE APPEARANCE AT CPAC

Elon Musk listens as President Donald Trump speaks with reporters in the Oval Office at the White House, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, in Washington. (Photo/Alex Brandon) (AP)

“A country is no different from a person,” he continued. “[A] country overspends, a country goes bankrupt in the same way as a person who overspends usually goes bankrupt. So, it’s not optional to solve these things, it’s essential.”

Matthew Kochman, a New York Real Estate broker, said that DOGE cuts “probably saved the country from financial collapse.” 

“I thought it was all just common sense,” Kochman said of Musk’s comments.

When attendees were asked about the proposal to use 20% of the money from the cuts across the board to go toward a stimulus check for American taxpayers, some raised questions about whether the funds should help pay down over $36 trillion in national debt. 

DOGE STIMULUS CHECKS: JOHNSON SIDE-STEPS QUESTION ON TRUMP PLAN, SAYS US HAS ‘GIANT DEFICIT’

FILE – Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., talks with reporters at the Capitol in Washington, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

“I’m not sure I agree with the sending money back. I would just assume money going to pay down our debt, because it is an existential threat,” Angie Carrai, of Vienna, Virginia, said, adding that Musk’s comments have “tapped into what a lot of people feel” about taxes being wasted on “ridiculous” programs.

However, Kochman said he believes that taxpayers should get some of their money back but thinks it should also help pay off the debt.

Speaker Mike Johnson has also raised concerns about the pitch from Musk and Trump, saying that the United States needs to “pay down the credit card” with the $2 trillion objective amount to be slashed through DOGE. 

Pat Dennis, President of the left-wing American Bridge 21st Century opposition research firm, told Fox News Digital after watching Musk’s remarks that he’s concerned about cuts to programs that benefit Americans.

“He was talking about cutting programs that everyday Americans rely on, things like Medicaid,” Dennis said. “The implication that massive percentages of these programs just can be unilaterally cut because they’re fraud is not real.”

Demonstrators rally in support of federal workers outside of the Department of Health and Human Services, Friday, Feb. 14, in Washington.  (AP/Mark Schiefelbein)

“People rely on these, voters rely on these, families rely on these, people in Republican districts rely on these,” he added.

DOGE made headlines in recent weeks for taking aim at spending through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) as well as grants doled out through various cabinet agencies. 

Fox News’ Peter Pinedo and Liz Elkind contributed to this report.