FX168 Financial News (Asia-Pacific) reports that senior left-wing politician and veteran Democratic Senator Bernie Sanders surprisingly voiced support for billionaire Elon Musk on Sunday (December 1), praising his proposal to cut defense spending made under President Trump's government efficiency department (DOGE). He endorsed the reform of the 886 billion dollar defense budget. Following this news, dogecoin (DOGE) surged on Monday during the Asia trading session, reaching a high of $0.4592.
Trump announced that Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy will jointly lead the government efficiency department, aimed at reducing excessive regulations, cutting wasteful spending, and making recommendations for restructuring federal institutions. Recently, Musk has made numerous remarks on Twitter, including issues regarding the Department of Defense's repeated failure to pass audits. He also hinted that the government efficiency department 'will improve the effectiveness of defense spending.'
Sanders posted on Twitter, saying: 'Musk is right. The budget for the U.S. Department of Defense is 886 billion dollars, and it has failed audits for the seventh consecutive time. It has lost track of how many billions it has.' In 2023, only 13 Senators voted against the military-industrial complex and the wasteful and fraudulent defense budget. This situation must change.'
In response to Sanders' post, Musk sent out two American flag emojis.
(Source: Twitter)
Recently, Musk has been vocally advocating for a shift in military strategy, arguing for the use of drones and ai to replace traditional fighter jets.
He criticized the F-35 program, arguing for the replacement of manned aircraft with drones. Musk claimed that manned aircraft like the F-35 are outdated, prompting defense from the U.S. Department of Defense and lockheed martin, which emphasized that despite cost overruns and delays, the global demand for the aircraft remains strong.
Musk's remarks align with his broad concerns about government overspending and fiscal responsibility.
It is worth noting that Sanders' statement this time is seen as a very rare shift. Previously, Musk and Sanders had poor communications. In November 2021, Musk and Sanders had an argument after the senator from the USA demanded that the wealthy pay their 'fair share' of taxes.
Sanders said, 'We must demand that the extremely wealthy pay their fair share.'
At that time, Musk mockingly said, 'I keep forgetting you're still alive, do you want me to sell more (Tesla) stocks, Bernie? Just say the word...'
Ahead of this year's election, Sanders has been outspoken in criticizing Musk. Earlier this year, he criticized Tesla for donating to Trump's campaign while advocating for publicly funded elections.
With Sanders' shift, Musk's government efficiency department once again became a hot topic on Twitter, further driving the surge of dogecoin, which has an abbreviation similar to that department.
(Source: CoinMarketCap)