Americans who were already concerned about Elon Musk’s power were left further unsettled after he gave a press conference in the Oval Office as if he truly were the President rather than Donald Trump.

Elon Musk, the billionaire entrepreneur who directs the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) for President Donald Trump, questioned the nature of American democracy during a joint press conference from the Oval Office on Tuesday.

Elon Musk was the center of attention in the Oval Office on Tuesday as he and Donald Trump offered a bizarre and rambling defense of their efforts to dismantle large chunks of the federal government through the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).