Camilla Jessen
U2’s Bono blasted Elon Musk over government spending cuts he called “pure evil.”
Elon Musk and Bono are no strangers to headlines — but their latest collision of worlds may be one of the most explosive yet.
What began as a sharp critique from the U2 frontman over the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a Trump-era initiative Musk once helmed, quickly escalated into a brutal war of words.
During a recent three-hour appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience, Bono blasted DOGE as “pure evil,” citing humanitarian fallout from deep cuts to foreign aid and government spending.
According to Bono, the agency’s slashing of U.S. aid budgets had left food aid rotting in boats and warehouses, with “50,000 tons of it” stalled due to staff terminations.
“The people who knew the codes, who were responsible for distributing that aid, were fired,” Bono said. “That’s not America, is it?”
Referencing a study from Boston University, the musician warned that the DOGE-driven cuts could lead to more than 300,000 deaths globally due to disrupted humanitarian supply chains.
Musk Fires Back: “Such a Liar”
Musk, who led DOGE during a brief but high-profile stint as a Special Government Employee under Trump, wasted no time firing back.
On his platform X, he denied any link between DOGE spending cuts and humanitarian deaths.
“Zero people have died because of the cuts to USAID,” Musk wrote. “Such a liar,” he added, calling Bono an “idiot.”
In a particularly cutting jab, Musk invoked an infamous South Park episode in which Bono was portrayed unfavorably: “South Park lampooned Bono as the biggest s*** in the world. They were right.”
DOGE in the Spotlight — and Under Fire
DOGE, short for Department of Government Efficiency, was a key initiative during Trump’s second term.
Aimed at cutting what it labeled as wasteful federal programs, DOGE drew both praise and fury.
While Musk and Trump supporters have called it a necessary shake-up of bloated bureaucracy, critics argue it has gutted essential services, including foreign aid and environmental protections.
Musk announced his departure from the agency earlier this month, thanking Trump and noting that “the @DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government.”
But since his exit, scrutiny has only grown.
Tensions Flare as Trump’s Budget Draws Musk’s Ire
Adding another twist, Musk has recently taken issue with Trump’s newly unveiled “Big, Beautiful Bill” — a massive budget proposal that increases defense spending and slashes funds for health and energy.
In an interview with CBS Sunday Morning, Musk expressed frustration:
I was disappointed to see the massive spending bill, frankly, which increases the budget deficit, not just decreases it, and undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing.
He didn’t mince words about the politics surrounding DOGE either, telling The Washington Post:
DOGE is just becoming the whipping boy for everything… Something bad would happen anywhere, and we would get blamed for it even if we had nothing to do with it.
Springsteen Joins the Chorus of Criticism
Musk’s sparring with Bono comes as another musical legend, Bruce Springsteen, has also taken aim at the Trump administration’s treatment of working-class Americans and the global poor.
“In my country, they’re taking sadistic pleasure in the pain they inflict on loyal American workers,” Springsteen told fans during a concert stop, echoing concerns about the human cost of the administration’s economic decisions.