Billionaire Elon Musk shared a post alleging that former Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama managed more deportations than President Donald Trump, yet faced “0 injunctions.”
“Bill Clinton: 12.3 million deportations – 0 injunctions, George W. Bush: 10.3 million deportations – 0 injunctions, Barack Obama: 5.3 million deportations – 0 injunctions. Donald Trump: 100 thousand deportations – 30 injunctions,” read the post by an X user.
Musk reshared the post and wrote in response, “Hmm.”
Musk recently made headlines when he responded to opponents of his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) by posting an unearthed video of Obama unveiling a nearly identical plan over a decade ago.
Musk used to his X platform to upload a 2011 video of Obama introducing the “Campaign to Cut Waste,” which aimed to decrease wasteful government spending. Musk captioned it, pointing out the similarities: “Sounds exactly like DOGE.”
In the video, Obama joked about putting then-Vice President Joe Biden in charge of the campaign, adding, “Nobody messes with Joe.”
Obama cited multiple examples of “pointless waste and stupid spending that doesn’t benefit anybody” discovered early in the campaign, including the ongoing support of a website for a folk music group called the “Fiddlin’ Foresters.”
Below is a transcript of the exchange:
Obama: “Everyone knows that getting rid of the deficit will require some tough decisions, and that includes cutting back on billions of dollars in programs that a lot of people care about. But what should be easy is getting rid of the pointless waste and stupid spending that doesn’t benefit anybody, waste we should be getting rid of even if we didn’t have a deficit. Sure, some of these cuts aren’t that big, but no amount of waste is acceptable. Not when it’s your money, not at a time when so many Americans are already cutting back. Just as families are living within their means, government should too. Did you know the federal government pays for a website devoted to a folk music ensemble made up of forest rangers? They called the Fiddlin’ Foresters. I’ll put their music on my iPod, but I’m not paying for their website. And there are hundreds of similar sites that we should consolidate or just get rid of. By the way, you’re not only paying for websites no one needs. You’re paying for thousands of buildings all across the country no one uses.
Obama: For the last decade, the government’s owned a massive and completely empty warehouse in the middle Brooklyn, for example. Now, the government hadn’t been able to sell this building and others like it because of red tape, main Washington politics, that held things up for years, but we’re finally cutting through all that and plan to get rid of these buildings in the months ahead. We need to step up our game. We need to go after every dime. We need to make government work for you. That’s why, starting today, I’ve asked the vice president to lead a renewed effort to hunt down misspent tax dollars in every agency and department of this government. We’re calling it the campaign to cut waste, and I know Joe’s the right man to lead it, because nobody messes with Joe.”
Biden: “There’s a new standard by which the government is going to function from this point on. The American people are entitled to transparency. Look, a lot of this depends on new sophisticated methods, but it also — it also, we know, depends on relentless focus on making this a priority; focus that can’t be delegated. We’re holding ourselves accountable and we’re deeply committed and focused on making government function better. We’re not just eliminating fraud and waste. We hope to be instilling an entire new culture that not only our administration, but every succeeding administration will, in fact, pursue. We’re going to give you the government you expect and deserve.”
WATCH:
A political outsider has rocketed to the top of Kansas’s Republican gubernatorial primary, reshaping the race overnight and challenging the bipartisan image Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly projected in her final State of the State address this week.
Philip Sarnecki, a Johnson County businessman and first-time candidate, has smashed every fundraising record in Kansas gubernatorial history, raising $3 million in just four months — a staggering figure that dwarfs the totals of every other Republican contender. His campaign brought in $2.7 million directly, with supportive organizations contributing an additional $250,000, pushing him far ahead of the pack.
Sarnecki, who entered the race late last September, now reports $2.3 million in cash on hand, giving him the war chest and momentum needed to dominate early advertising and ground operations.
“Our campaign has raised the most money in Kansas gubernatorial history, and we did it in far less time than every other Republican candidate in the field,” Sarnecki said in a statement. “There’s an incredible energy around our campaign. Kansans are tired of losing and they’re tired of career politicians.”
He continued, “Kansans are hungry for a business leader and an outsider — someone like President Trump — to win this race. The support we’ve received across Kansas proves that to be true. We’re just getting started. It’s our time to win.”
A wealth management executive and president of RPS Financial Group, Sarnecki has built his campaign around the message that Kansas needs a leader “untethered from the Topeka political establishment.” His policy platform centers on tax relief, deregulation, and small-business growth, along with education reforms emphasizing parental rights and school choice.
Political analysts say Sarnecki’s rise mirrors the anti-establishment wave that powered Trump’s success in 2016 — a movement fueled by populist frustration with entrenched elites. His rapid fundraising surge has sent shockwaves through the Kansas GOP, instantly making him the de facto frontrunner in a crowded primary once dominated by veteran officeholders.
The timing of Sarnecki’s ascent could not be more symbolic. While the businessman is channeling voter anger at political insiders, outgoing Gov. Laura Kelly used her State of the State address Tuesday to issue a direct plea for moderation and civility, arguing that Kansans had thrived under steady, bipartisan leadership rather than partisan theatrics.
“I’m here because Kansans were looking for someone who would turn the volume down, to do more listening than yelling, to bring people together, to compromise and govern from the middle,” Kelly told a joint session of the Legislature. “Kansans are the most civil, decent people on earth. And they expect that from us, too.”
Kelly — who cannot seek reelection due to term limits — warned that “toxic politics” could derail progress the state made under her tenure, pointing to bipartisan success stories like 587 enacted bills and a landmark deal to build a Kansas City Chiefs stadium in Wyandotte County.
“To land the Chiefs, we all put politics aside,” Kelly said. “We all put personal differences aside. And we didn’t care who got the credit.”
With record-breaking fundraising totals and a message resonating with restless GOP voters, Sarnecki has positioned himself as the candidate to beat — and as the leading Republican ready to take on Kelly’s successor in what could be Kansas’s most consequential gubernatorial race in decades.
Correction: A quote misattributed to Matt Schlapp has been retracted. In addition, Phillip Sarnecki does not appear to have staked out a clear position on the Chiefs stadium being moved to Kansas. The article has been corrected to remove this incorrect information.