Bernie Sanders Blasts 'President Elon Musk': Others Join Chorus As Government Shutdown Looms

Elon Musk's role in the political dynamics of President-elect Donald Trump's team took center stage during this week's government shutdown drama as the billionaire's often scathing criticism of a bipartisan spending bill unleashed a wave of chaos on Capitol Hill.

Musk's social media posts, which by some accounts exceeded hundreds, depict his influence over GOP lawmakers and highlighted the outsized role he now plays and will likely continue to play in Trump's administration.

Republicans were not happy with the proposed version of the spending bill, though House Speaker Mike Johnson "believed that he could get enough Republicans to join most Democrats” to pass the bill and avert a shutdown, Russell Berman noted in The Atlantic. It turns out, though, that the person he really needed to persuade was Musk.

Here's How It Rolled Out This Week

On Wednesday, Musk took to cyberspace lambasting the spending bill on X, calling it "criminal" and urging his 170 million followers to pressure Congress. His posts, which triggered strong reaction among House Republicans, were replete with threats. "Any member of the House or Senate who votes for this outrageous spending bill deserves to be voted out in two years!"

Johnson told Fox & Friends Wednesday that he'd been in direct communication with Musk and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, attempting to explain the bill's nuances. Lobbying the two unelected billionaires, who are Trump ‘s picks to trim government waste, went on until the wee hours. Johnson admitted to Fox that he didn't get anywhere with the two.

Following Musk's tweets badgering House members, he also told his followers to call their representatives: "They are trying to get this passed today while no one is paying attention,” Musk warned.

Bernie Sanders Speaks Out: ‘President Elon Musk’

Sanders responded with a Wednesday tweet of his own, noted the Washington Post. “Democrats and Republicans spent months negotiating a bipartisan agreement to fund our government. The richest man on Earth, President Elon Musk, doesn’t like it. Will Republicans kiss the ring? Billionaires must not be allowed to run our government.”

Axios' Mike Allen called Musk "arguably the most powerful person in business, the most powerful man in media and, at least at this moment, the most powerful man in politics."

GOP lawmakers, already uneasy about the bill, folded under the pressure of Musk's threats, demonstrating what Allen referred to as the "new playbook" for conservative influence: direct, real-time social media lobbying.

"This much power, across this many pillars of society, is without precedent. Musk yesterday single-handedly, his voice amplified by his day-long bombardment of scores of tweets on his X platform, sank a 1,547-page, bipartisan House spending bill aimed at preventing a government shutdown on 12:01 AM Saturday," wrote Allen.

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Photo Frederic-Legrand Shutterstock.