John Stewart, host of The Daily Show, didn’t hold back when he mocked Elon Musk after the tech billionaire quit his role in the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) on Friday 30 May. Stewart’s opening monologue labelled Musk “America’s least efficient government worker,” despite Musk being in charge of DOGE. Meanwhile, Musk fired back at U2 frontman Bono for citing a report that 300,000 people died due to USAID cuts under Musk’s watch.
🤡 Stewart’s savage opening
Stewart began by showing two contrasting photos of Musk—one from when he joined the Trump administration, and one taken just weeks ago. In his trademark style, Stewart quipped:
“I’m starting to feel bad for this guy, he’s only been there four months.”
He cracked on:
“Doge has finally rooted out one of America’s least efficient government workers and marked him for dismissal… Look at this f**king guy. He went from tech titan, given a mandate to move fast and crush the deep state, to… guy who had a bad night in Nashville at a bar he can’t remember.”
Pointing at Musk’s black eye and vacant stare, Stewart deadpanned:
“He’s beaten down. He’s got that look on his face that I imagine his employees normally have. Black eye, thousand-yard stare. This dude has seen some s**t. So you’re not gonna tell us what happened? Do you need a safe place to stay?”
🏛️ Musk’s final Oval Office send-off
Just hours before Stewart’s roast hit the airwaves, President Trump held a farewell meeting with Musk in the Oval Office. Musk appeared with a black eye, prompting endless speculation. Trump praised Musk’s brief DOGE tenure, while Stewart savoured every moment of the tech mogul’s fall from grace.
🎸 Bono calls out USAID cuts
On the same day Musk left DOGE, Bono joined Joe Rogan on The Joe Rogan Experience. Talking about his Apple TV+ documentary Bono: Stories Of Surrender, the 65-year-old singer highlighted a crisis:
“Just a recent report… it’s not proven, but there’s surveillance enough to suggest 300,000 people have already died from just this cut off, this hard cut of USAID. So there’s food rotting in boats, in warehouses.”
Bono referenced a Boston University study by infectious disease academic Brooke Nichols, suggesting Musk’s DOGE cuts harmed vulnerable communities.
💥 Musk’s furious response
Musk took to X (formerly Twitter) on 31 May with a terse rebuttal:
“He’s such a liar/idiot. Zero people have died!”
Musk’s reply dismissed Bono’s “surveillance enough to suggest” claim, insisting the USAID cuts caused no fatalities. That stance drew heavy criticism, with many accusing Musk of ignoring genuine humanitarian concerns.
Related: Watch: Elon Musk freaks out after clip claims he was ‘tripping on ketamine’
