Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, who also leads the Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency,  on Thursday wielded a chainsaw on the stage at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), to underscore his agency's cuts to federal agencies. 

The symbolism comes as DOGE tears through federal agencies – seeking proof of fraud, waste, abuse and other non-necessary expenditures to further its mission to drastically reduce the size of scope of the federal government. 

DOGE is hoping to reduce wasteful government spending by $2 trillion.

Musk emerged on the CPAC stage – wearing a black “Make America Great Again” hat, sunglasses and chain – where he spoke to Newsmax anchor Rob Schmitt about his work with the administration. 

Toward the end of the segment, Argentina President Javier Milei presented Musk with the chainsaw.

“This is the chainsaw for bureaucracy," Musk shouted as he held the tool up for a cheering crowd. 

The move copied Milei's famous gimmick at political events, which he also used to emphasize his mission to reduce large sectors of Argentina's federal government. Milei was reportedly an inspiration for DOGE, according to The Hill.

Musk's appearance occurred during the first day of the conference, which will run through the weekend and feature many heavy conservative hitters, including President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.