Fans of The Simpsons drew parallels between Homer and Elon Musk after Musk casually admitted that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) briefly canceled Ebola prevention programs on accident.
"We're not going to be perfect," Musk admitted during President Donald Trump's first cabinet meeting. As an example, Musk described accidentally "deleting Ebola prevention" while slashing USAID funding, but quickly reinstating the program budgets once the mistake was realized.
Elon Musk: "We will make mistakes. We won't be perfect ... so for example, with USAID, one of the things we accidentally canceled very briefly was ebola prevention." pic.twitter.com/bq4Ipp4Zvj
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 26, 2025
Musk framed the blunder as par for the course as DOGE undertakes the ambitious task of decreasing the federal deficit by $1 trillion. "We will make mistakes... but when we make a mistake, we'll fix it very quickly," he assured.
The speech failed to put the internet at ease. Social media users likened Musk's approach to a reckless trial-and-error experiment, with some comparing him to Homer Simpson left in charge of the Springfield nuclear plant.
Elon Musk and DOGE "accidentally" cancels America. pic.twitter.com/NHVwKKwmqY
— Jeremy H🇺🇸 (@jeremyfromga) February 26, 2025
Others pointed to DOGE's previous "accidents" over the past few weeks, which included gutting funding for bird flu control and nuclear oversight. One user summed up the backlash: "I am beginning to think it's not a bug but a feature of your leadership style. Which mistake is going to be catastrophic?"
Elon and trump admin cutting cancer research, Medicaid etc. reminds me of leaving Homer in charge of the nuclear plant
— BoredApe6328.eth 🍌 (@DaybedNFT) February 26, 2025
Musk's comments have fueled growing concerns over his role in the Trump administration, particularly as he oversees sweeping budget cuts to agencies like USAID, Medicaid, and cancer research. Critics warn that his aggressive cost-cutting measures could lead to far less cartoonish real-world consequences.
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