Elon Musk was the surprise guest at the 2025 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Maryland on Thursday, as many Republicans and conservatives gathered to hear a range of speakers.
But while he was a surprise, he himself got a big surprise with a visit from Argentina’s leader, Javier Milei.
Now, you may recall how Milei set fire to the concept of cutting government in his country.
Argentina’s Monthly Inflation Rate
Dec 2023 (Javier Milei takes office): 26%
Jan 2024: 21%
Feb 2024: 13%
Mar 2024: 11%
Apr 2024: 8.8%
May 2024: 4.3%
Jun 2024: 4.6%
Jul 2024: 4.0%
Aug 2024: 4.2%
Sep 2024: 3.5%
Oct 2024: 2.7%
Nov 2024: 2.4%
Dec 2024: 2.7%
Jan 2025: 2.2%Afuera! pic.twitter.com/T1JCnI1fGo
— Charlie Bilello (@charliebilello) February 13, 2025
Milei has been successful at turning things around and Musk has admired his cost-cutting efforts.
Among the things that Milei was known for when he ran was waving around a chainsaw, promising to cut the bureaucracy.
So when he met Musk at CPAC, he had a special gift for him to acknowledge their common efforts — a golden chainsaw.
Incredible. Javier Milei brought Elon Musk a DOGE chainsaw. The perfect gift to inspire the cutting of even more waste, fraud, and abuse 🔥🔥
AFUERA!! pic.twitter.com/8j3XVDvGib
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) February 20, 2025
I think it’s fair to say it was well-received. Musk loved the symbolism.
Then later, when Musk came out on the CPAC stage, Milei presented it to him again so the audience could see it, and they had some fun.
🚨NEW: Elon Musk comes out on stage at CPAC 2025 and is presented a golden chainsaw by Argentinian President, Javier Milei, and yells, “THIS IS THE CHAINSAW FOR BUREAUCRACY!” 🔥 pic.twitter.com/Rms8WujLZV
— Autism Capital 🧩 (@AutismCapital) February 20, 2025
This is a real picture pic.twitter.com/HFSxrpbiju
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 20, 2025
That resonated with Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) and others who embrace the mission.
Reminds me of what I did to the tax code…fond memories. Get it done @elonmusk! https://t.co/z2c0x3TgVT pic.twitter.com/vKbr1msiSk
— Rand Paul (@RandPaul) February 21, 2025
READ MORE: Rand Paul’s Response to Joe Scarborough’s ‘It’s a Scam’ Criticism of DOGE Was Chef’s Kiss
WATCH: Rand Paul Releases a Hilarous Parody Video With His Dad on Talking Politics Over Thanksgiving
If he hadn’t done enough already by reviewing finances with his team, now Trump has also tasked them with reviewing regulations in accordance with a new executive order.
The fact sheet of the order says it will “end Federal overreach in regulation and enforcement and restore the constitutional separation of powers.”
It calls for agency heads to work with Elon Musk’s DOGE and the Office of Management and Budget to review regulations, with emphasis on those that are cost heavy.
Any regulations that aren’t in line with the Trump administration policy will be rescinded or modified, including those determined to be based on “unlawful delegations of legislative power,” that inflict costs on private parties that don’t also benefit the public, that harm national security interests, and other criteria.
That’s likely to further free up and charge up the economy.
