White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt responded forcefully to mounting criticism from Democratic leaders and media outlets over President Donald Trump’s aggressive efforts to slash federal spending—an initiative heavily influenced by Elon Musk and his leadership at the newly rebranded Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.
Leavitt pointed to archival video clips of prominent Democratic presidents—Joe Biden, Barack Obama, and Bill Clinton—each advocating for substantial reductions in government spending. Of those leaders, she noted, only Bill Clinton successfully implemented the kinds of cuts that led to balanced federal budgets, thanks largely to cooperation with a Republican-led Congress.“To every Democrat planning protests this week, here’s a reminder—from your own party’s leaders,” Leavitt posted on X, alongside footage of Biden and Obama speaking in favor of trimming government waste.
Supporters of Trump’s spending reforms amplified her message by sharing older footage of President Clinton outlining deep budget cuts, including the elimination of outdated programs and reductions in government payrolls. Under Clinton’s plan, the federal government was streamlined, 100,000 jobs were cut, and administrative costs were slashed by 12%. These efforts helped generate budget surpluses and reduce the national debt.
One widely shared post by the X account KanekoaTheGreat recapped Clinton’s warning from decades ago: had unnecessary spending not been curbed, the U.S. could face an annual federal deficit of $650 billion by the early 2000s. Fast-forward to today, and that projection has been shattered—the 2024 federal deficit hit $1.83 trillion, with $880 billion of that going toward interest on the national debt alone.
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During Clinton’s administration, a total of 380,000 federal jobs were cut—a 16% decrease in the federal workforce. His administration’s commitment to balancing the budget earned bipartisan praise at the time. But now, as Trump aims to revive a similar ethos of fiscal responsibility, Democrats are pushing back.
Representative Daniel Webster (R-Fla.) penned a column for the Washington Examiner criticizing what he called “selective outrage” from the left. He accused Democratic leaders of reversing their long-held stance on fiscal responsibility simply because it’s Trump implementing the reforms.“The country is $36 trillion in debt,” Webster wrote. “And instead of demanding accountability, Washington continues to expand its bloated bureaucracy. That’s exactly why President Trump’s creation of the Department of Government Efficiency is a bold and necessary move—to force modernization and demand that every dollar be justified.”Webster called the backlash against DOGE “ironic,” highlighting that the department originated from a Democratic initiative. Under President Obama, the United States Digital Service (USDS) was launched in 2014 to inject private-sector expertise—particularly from Silicon Valley—into government operations. At the time, Democrats praised the move and granted tech teams unprecedented access to critical systems, including Medicare’s payment infrastructure.
“They cheered when engineers embedded by the USDS were given access to the systems that handle billions in government payouts,” Webster wrote. “But now, those same voices are protesting Trump’s reforms—simply because he renamed the agency and appointed someone they politically disagree with.”
That “someone” is Elon Musk, the polarizing billionaire known for disrupting industries and championing efficiency through innovation. Trump’s decision to install Musk as the face of government reform sparked immediate pushback, but supporters argue it’s a logical extension of a Democratic strategy—just taken further and applied with urgency.
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“The same critics who welcomed tech elites into the heart of government during Obama’s term are now outraged because this administration is using that very model to eliminate waste,” Webster said.
As protests grow outside federal buildings, and scrutiny intensifies from political commentators, the debate surrounding DOGE underscores a broader conflict in Washington: who gets to reshape government, and on whose terms? With the national debt ballooning and public frustration over inefficiency rising, the coming months will determine whether Trump and Musk’s unorthodox vision gains traction—or becomes yet another lightning rod in a deeply divided political landscape.