Liz Cheney’s Latest Attack On Elon Musk Backfires Spectacularly

Liz Cheney, the former Republican congresswoman turned vocal Trump critic, found herself at the center of a social media firestorm after taking a jab at tech billionaire and DOGE leader Elon Musk. Cheney, who has drawn criticism from conservatives for her alignment with establishment figures, attempted to frame Musk as ignorant of America’s role in defending democracy.

Instead, her remarks triggered a wave of backlash, exposing lingering frustrations over her political career and past affiliations. The controversy began when political commentator and former State Department official Mike Benz highlighted Cheney’s past work at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), an organization that has come under fire for questionable expenditures.

One of the more eyebrow-raising revelations included USAID’s $20 million funding of “Ahlan Simsim,” a Sesame Street-style program in Iraq, a disclosure that sparked widespread outrage over taxpayer dollars being funneled into foreign entertainment projects.

Musk responded to Benz’s post with a single-word reaction: “Interesting.”

Cheney, rather than ignoring the growing discourse, opted to engage Musk directly. “Damn right, @Elon. I’m proud of what America did to win the Cold War, defeat Soviet communism, and defend democracy.”

“Our nation stood for freedom. You may be unfamiliar with that part of our history since you weren’t yet an American citizen,” Cheney wrote.

What followed was an avalanche of criticism. Many saw Cheney’s response as a desperate attempt to assert relevance while simultaneously attacking Musk’s credibility based on his South African origins.

Notably, columnist Mollie Hemingway dismantled Cheney’s argument with a sharp retort: “He is an American by choice instead of by birth, which is a weird thing to insult someone over, but more importantly, he didn’t commit so many crimes against the country that he had to be pardoned by Joe Biden, so he’s got that going for him.”

The mention of Cheney’s widely reported acceptance of a Biden administration pardon reignited concerns about her political motivations. Others pointed out Cheney’s deep ties to the defense and foreign policy establishment, questioning her role in various military and diplomatic decisions that have contributed to the very global entanglements Musk has criticized.

Some even accused Cheney of hypocrisy, arguing that her invocation of American values rings hollow given her involvement in policies that led to costly foreign interventions and expanded surveillance programs. The backlash wasn’t limited to Musk supporters.

Libertarians and anti-interventionists also chimed in, mocking Cheney’s pride in USAID’s expenditures and questioning whether programs like the Iraq-based Sesame Street justified her self-righteous tone. The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a watchdog account tracking wasteful government spending, previously exposed USAID’s funding of various projects deemed excessive or unnecessary, further fueling the anti-Cheney sentiment.

Even those typically critical of Musk found Cheney’s response to be misguided. Instead of countering Musk’s point with substance, Cheney’s decision to focus on his citizenship status came off as an elitist and out-of-touch maneuver. Some users went as far as to suggest that her post was emblematic of the very brand of establishment politics that voters rejected in the Trump era.

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