‘Beyond Disgusting’: Elon Musk Faces Backlash After Mocking Federal Aid Receipts As ‘Parasite Class’ While His Companies Rake In $18 Billion from U.S. Taxpayers
Elon Musk is many things, but self-aware is not one. Compassionate is another adjective that eludes one of the nation’s biggest recipients of federal contracts.
On Wednesday, Musk posted a meme on his social media platform, X, showing a blue-eyed young blond woman sporting a bright smile with the caption, “Watching Trump slash federal programs because it doesn’t affect you because you’re not a member of the ‘Parasite Class.’”
Musk wrote an accompanying message, “Why 90 percent of America loves @DOGE,” referencing the Department of Government Efficiency, which the tech billionaire leads.
This shits beyond disgusting. The richest man in the world rejoicing at cutting off necessary support to the “parasite class”. He’s saying that the poor, the disabled, the mentally ill, the elderly are subhuman compared to him bc they lack his wealth and privilege and therefore…
— puddle
(@Erinnwilken08) February 13, 2025
Musk has live tweeted DOGE’s progress targeting what he terms as agencies fraught with government waste — posting nearly 200 times in a 24-hour period alone from Tuesday into Wednesday, according to a review by ABC News.
Musk has taken to the job with zeal, mocking detractors while musing about which agencies he’ll target next. He’s unleashed a group of Gen-Z’ers with names like “Big Balls” to conduct interviews with government workers forced to explain why they should keep their jobs.
He has relentlessly mocked his detractors, whether they be members of Congress or affected federal workers, and posted about which agencies he plans to target next. It suggests an ignorance of politics, as government aid beneficiaries include many members of the Trump coalition, like first-generation Missouri farmer Skylar Holden, who went viral this week after expressing regret for voting for Trump after the president froze certain Department of Agriculture spending.
Holder and many farmers like him depend on that funding to keep their farms afloat, but the U.S. Department of Agriculture hasn’t said whether the freeze will be lifted. If Holder weren’t having second thoughts after that, being called a “parasite” likely would put him over the top. Many commenters were outraged by Musk’s latest meme.
“Taxpayers fund government contracts, and he has no problems with that,” said one. “The majority of Trump supporters rely on the programs @DOGE is cutting, and he calls them parasites.”
“This sh-ts beyond disgusting. The richest man in the world rejoicing at cutting off necessary support to the ‘parasite class,’” responded another. “He’s saying that the poor, the disabled, the mentally ill, the elderly are subhuman compared to him bc they lack his wealth and privilege and therefore they don’t deserve vital services. This should make you angry. This is class warfare, and there’s a very big chance you (like most people) and him aren’t on the same team.”
But his titular boss, Donald Trump, doesn’t seem bothered, saying Musk is doing a “great job.”
Musk’s cuts include:
*$9 million in Department of Education contracts, and, likely, the DOE itself;
*104 government contracts related to DEIA (diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility) programs and initiatives throughout the federal government totaling $1 billion;
*The U.S. Agency for International Development, which funds humanitarian efforts around the world.
Meanwhile, buyouts have been offered to two million government workers. Deferred resignations, sent by the Office of Personnel Management at the end of January, offer to pay employees their full salary and benefits through September, without the need to work during that time, in exchange for their resignation.
Agencies on the chopping block include FEMA, the Federal Aviation Administration, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Treasury Department.
However, Musk’s companies, including SpaceX and Tesla, have been awarded at least $18 billion in federal contracts over the past decade. SpaceX alone has secured more than $17 billion in contracts since 2015, with federal contracts to SpaceX tripling during the Biden administration, increasing from $1.1 billion in the 2020 fiscal year to nearly $3.7 billion in the 2024 fiscal year, according to ABC News.
Support remains for Musk and DOGE. Some commenters said his meme was misinterpreted.
“Transgender Animal Studies, condoms and circumcisions are not vital services. Bullshitting about what is happening makes you part of the parasite class by proxy,” wrote one fan.