Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to head Department of Government Efficiency under Trump

"The merch will be fire," Musk wrote in a post to X following Trump's announcement of his new position

By Kelly McClure

Nights & Weekends Editor

Published November 12, 2024 9:09PM (EST)

Tesla and X CEO Elon Musk raises his hands as he takes the stage during a campaign rally for Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump, at Madison Square Garden on October 27, 2024 in New York City.  (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
Tesla and X CEO Elon Musk raises his hands as he takes the stage during a campaign rally for Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump, at Madison Square Garden on October 27, 2024 in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

"Guys, the fact DOGE is a real thing, and that it's called DOGE, proves that we are in a simulation."

The above, posted to X by user @farzyness, was one of many similar takes on Tuesday night, following the announcement that Donald Trump plans to fold in Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to lead the new "Department of Government Efficiency" once he's positioned in the White House.

Playing off the reference to the Shiba Inu meme associated with the cryptocurrency of the same name, Musk took to his platform shortly after the announcement to boast his key to the kingdom, writing, "The merch will be fire."

“Together, these two wonderful Americans will pave the way for my administration to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies,” Trump said in a statement, which quoted Musk as saying “This will send shockwaves through the system, and anyone involved in government waste, which is a lot of people!”

Jumping in on the excitement with his own contribution to social media, Ramaswamy wrote in a post to X, "We will not go gently, @elonmusk."

According to Cryptoglobe, "the meme-inspired cryptocurrency Dogecoin ($DOGE) has seen its price surge more than 140% over the past week to trade above the $0.4 mark amid a wider cryptocurrency market rally," and with Trump's announcement, that's expected to go up and up.

"So umm good time to buy $DOGE ??" One person wrote to X, with an image of its Shiba Inu mascot taking off in a rocket.

"Threat to democracy? Nope, threat to BUREAUCRACY!!!" Musk wrote in a later post, further celebrating his big win.


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