Trump White House and Democrats clash over Musk’s new power amid DOGE protests: ‘We are going to be on your a–es!’

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt accused Democratic members of Congress of inciting “violence” as lawmakers say the Trump administration has created a “Constitutional crisis.”
The Trump White House on Wednesday accused Democrats of inciting violence after an explosive congressional-led protest of recent actions taken at several federal agencies by Elon Musk and his newly formed task force called the Department of Government Efficiency, also known as DOGE.
“For Democrat officials to incite violence and encourage Americans to take to the streets is incredibly alarming, and they should be held accountable for that rhetoric,” said White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt at Wednesday’s press briefing.
Prominent Democrats on Tuesday did not mince words in expressing their outrage over the Trump administration’s overhaul of executive agencies, where Musk, a non-government employee, has directed his team to access government systems with sensitive data about American citizens. Democrats joined hundreds of protesters outside the Treasury Department after reports indicated Musk and his DOGE team gained access to the Treasury’s payment system. The lawmakers expressed concerns about security risks or missed payments for programs like Social Security and Medicare.
Musk, the billionaire owner of X (formerly Twitter), SpaceX and Tesla, was installed by Trump to lead a task force aimed at eliminating career federal employees and cutting government spending, which includes programs relied on by millions domestically and internationally. But Democrats warn that Musk’s seemingly unfettered power to shut down agencies of his liking and block access to systems for employees also represents an erosion of transparency and even potentially breaks the law.
“I am so tired of these billionaire boys and their grubby little hands grabbing at everything. Hands off our bodies, hands off our data, hands off our tax refunds, hands off our social security checks, hands off our Constitution!” said Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass. Pressley added, “We will see you in the courts, in Congress, in the streets! Elon Musk is a Nazi, nepo baby.”
Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, told President Donald Trump, Musk and the rest of the administration directly: “We are going to be on your asses!” The popular congresswoman continued, “We are going to make sure you understand what democracy looks like — this ain’t it.”
On Wednesday at the White House, Leavitt sought to shift the narrative by instead accusing Democrats of using violent rhetoric. “It’s unacceptable … comments that have been made by these Democrat leaders,” said the Trump spokesperson.
The White House Office of Communications specifically called out Rep. LaMonica McIver, D-N.J., after Tuesday’s protest, where the congresswoman told protesters to “Shut down the city!” and declared, “We are at war!” The Trump administration slammed the “despicable call for violence.” Last week, the White House similarly called for House of Representatives Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., to apologize after he said Democrats would “fight” against Trump’s agenda “in the streets.” However, no Democrat has called for physical violence.
Pressley, who promised to use her powerful position on the House Committee on Oversight to demand transparency from the Trump administration, said the country is at an “unprecedented moment” and “constitutional crisis.” She told protesters on Tuesday, “We will match their energy with unprecedented organizing, mobilizing [and] agitating.”
Leavitt dismissed Democrats’ outrage over Musk’s work with DOGE within the executive offices, arguing that voters elected Trump with a “mandate from the American people to make this government more efficient.”
The White House press secretary continued, “He campaigned across this country with Elon Musk, vowing that Elon was going to head up the Department of Government Efficiency, and the two of them, with a great team around them, were going to look at the receipts of this federal government and ensure it’s accountable to American taxpayers.”
However, Democrats point out that federal budgets are approved and authorized by Congress, and any attempts to pause or cut spending do not belong to the executive branch. What’s more, they argued, bypassing Congress is an affront to the American people who elected them to office.
“I want you to know that the power belongs to the people,” said Congresswoman Crockett, who urged citizens to “not feel powerless in this moment.”
“As the [former] Vice President [Kamala Harris] said, as she conceded the election, she said dark times may be ahead of us, but she said, it’s only in the darkness that we can see the stars,” said Crockett. “I am telling you right now that the stars are right here. It is time for us to shine. It is time for us to be heard. It is time for us to make sure that they know we will not go!”
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