'They Don't Give a Damn About You' —Bernie Sanders Says If Musk Is Firing Federal Workers With a Chainsaw, What Happens When AI Comes For Your Job?

Bernie Sanders didn't come to tiptoe around the issue. In a CNN town hall moderated by Anderson Cooper last week, the 83-year-old independent senator from Vermont tore into President Donald Trump's government downsizing efforts — and the high-profile billionaire who's become the public face of them.

That billionaire is Elon Musk. He's supposedly not running the Department of Government Efficiency, but he's advising it — loudly. He's shown up to right-wing events with a chainsaw, backed sweeping cuts to federal jobs, and championed the administration's agenda to shrink the government. And to Sanders, Musk's growing role in public policy isn't just inappropriate — it's dangerous.

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"The idea that Musk goes around with his ‘chainsaw,'" Sanders said, referencing Musk's  appearance at the Conservative Political Action Conference in February, "is outrageous." Then came the gut punch: "Am I going to tell you the Veterans Administration is the most efficient organization in the world? No, it's not. But you don't simply – with a chainsaw, if you like – get rid of 83,000 people, then say, ‘Oh, it's not going to impact the quality of care that our veterans receive.'"

For Sanders, the stakes go far beyond government payrolls. He used the moment to warn what happens next — when technology and automation come for jobs.

"If Musk can do this to federal employees, some of whom are in unions… what do you think he's going to be doing when artificial intelligence and robotics comes for your job?" he asked. "They don't give a damn about you. If this is what they can do to federal employees, think of what they can do to people in the private sector."

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He didn't stop there. Sanders linked the job cuts and tech threats to what he's long called a "corrupt campaign finance system," pointing directly at Musk's influence in the 2024 presidential election and his threats to bankroll challengers. "When you talk about people losing faith in the American political system, it's justified," he said. "The average American says, ‘Yeah, I got one vote, and Musk can spend hundreds of millions of dollars. Is that a democracy? Why should I vote?'"

On trade, Sanders split from Trump's aggressive new round of tariffs. While he supports tariffs when they're "used selectively," he said Trump's approach was more about headlines than strategy. "To arbitrarily, out of nowhere, come up with a tariff that they can't even justify or explain to virtually every country on Earth is absolutely counterproductive."

He also shot down the White House's claim that iPhones could be made in the U.S. without fallout. Sanders said he wasn't sure how realistic that would be — but he knew the consequences: "immediate harm" to working people through higher prices.

See Also: Elon Musk Told The U.N. If They Could Show A Plan For Ending World Hunger He'd Donate $6 Billion – ‘I Will Sell Tesla Stock Right Now And Do It'

Still, in a night heavy with economic critique, Sanders carved out space for something rare: a call for global decency. "We don't have to hate China. We don't have to hate other people," he said. "Let's figure out a way to work together." His bigger point: "The goal has got to be to break down these barriers that separate us as human beings — come together as Americans and come together globally as human beings."

But even his idealism was tethered to a stark warning. Sanders closed with a blunt assessment of Trump's power grabs, including lawsuits against the press, threats to universities, and talk of a third term. "What he wants is power and wealth for his oligarch friends," Sanders said. "This is whether or not we remain a free society. Or do we all bow down to our new king, President Trump? That is not the kind of nation I think we want to become."

He's older than he was during his 2016 rise — but Sanders is still swinging. And this time, the warning isn't just about billionaires or broken systems. It's about a chainsaw, a disappearing middle class, and a future being shaped without you in mind.

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