Musk’s loyalists at DOGE have infiltrated dozens of federal agencies, pushed out tens of thousands of workers, and siphoned millions of people’s most sensitive data. The next step: Unleash the AI.

The head of President Donald Trump’s government efficiency effort, Elon Musk, is emerging as a messaging punching bag for Democrats as they pick up the pieces of their stinging defeat in last year’s elections and search for a winning message for 2026.

Elon Musk visited the National Security Agency on Wednesday, current and former U.S. officials said, meeting with leadership a week after saying the intelligence and cybersecurity outfit needed an overhaul.