Chain, chain, chain: political theatre confirms Elon Musk’s Maga hero status at jubilant CPAC

<p>Emboldened and exultant, speakers put less emphasis on baiting liberals and more on spreading the Maga gospel</p><p>What do you give the man who has everything? A ballroom full of cheering conservative activists found out this week when Elon Musk was <a href="https://apnews.com/article/musk-chainsaw-trump-doge-6568e9e0cfc42ad6cdcfd58a409eb312">presented with a chainsaw</a> by Argentina’s president, Javier Milei, who has used the power tool as a symbol of his push to impose fiscal discipline.</p><p>Wearing sunglasses, a black Maga baseball cap and a gold necklace, Musk giddily wielded the chainsaw up and down the stage. “This is the chainsaw for bureaucracy!” <a href="https://www.theverge.com/elon-musk/617090/elon-musk-cpac-2025-transcript">he declared</a>. Members of the audience shouted: “We love you!” Musk replied: “I love you guys, too!” And he quipped: “I am become meme.”</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/23/cpac-elon-musk">Continue reading...</a>