At this year’s CPAC conference in Las Vegas, Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) head Elon Musk delivered a fiery rebuke of the federal government’s wasteful spending on left-leaning media outlets like Reuters and Politico. Musk, alongside Newsmax host Rob Schmitt, didn’t hold back as he called out the millions of taxpayer dollars funneled into propping up what many conservatives see as the dying legacy media.
The controversy began earlier this month when President Donald Trump, never one to shy away from exposing government corruption, blasted the Department of Defense for handing Reuters—a media giant rivaling the Associated Press—a staggering $9 million contract to study “large scale social deception.” Trump didn’t mince words in his social media post: *“DOGE: Looks like Radical Left Reuters was paid $9,000,000 by the Department of Defense to study ‘large scale social deception.’ GIVE BACK THE MONEY, NOW!”*
And Reuters wasn’t the only one caught with its hand in the taxpayer cookie jar. Trump also revealed that millions were spent on Politico subscriptions. *“DOGE: Why was Politico paid Millions of Dollars for NOTHING. Buying the press??? PAY BACK THE MONEY TO THE TAXPAYERS!”* Trump demanded. Even CBS News—no friend to conservatives—was forced to admit that federal agencies spent over $8 million on Politico in 2024, including $24,000 from USAID alone.
Enter Elon Musk at CPAC, where the tech billionaire and government efficiency watchdog took direct aim at this gross misuse of public funds. *“A massive amount of your tax dollars is going to legacy media companies,”* Musk declared to a cheering audience. Schmitt didn’t hesitate to connect the dots: *“The government wants to take over media,”* he said—a statement that resonated with many attendees concerned about the erosion of independent journalism.
Musk didn’t mince words in his response. *“Yeah. It’s horrible. Yeah,”* he agreed, highlighting the danger of a government so intertwined with the press that it manipulates public opinion through taxpayer-funded propaganda. Schmitt pointed out the importance of X (formerly Twitter) as a counterbalance to these legacy outlets, praising Musk’s $44 billion acquisition as a pivotal move for free speech. *“Probably more than it was worth,”* Schmitt joked, *“but there was a message.”*
That’s when Musk delivered the line that brought the house down: *“Freedom is priceless.”*
Those three words encapsulated the entire conversation. In an era where the left weaponizes the media to push narratives, silence dissent, and censor conservative voices, platforms like X serve as a critical lifeline for open discourse. Schmitt agreed wholeheartedly, calling Musk’s purchase *“one of the most important investments this country has ever seen.”*
Musk’s remarks come at a time when the American public is growing increasingly fed up with media manipulation and government overreach. Why should hardworking taxpayers foot the bill for media outlets that spend more time attacking conservative values than reporting the news? Musk and Trump’s willingness to shine a spotlight on these backroom deals is precisely why they resonate with so many Americans tired of Washington’s swamp games.
CPAC attendees left the session reminded of what’s at stake in the fight for free speech. When the government spends millions to control the narrative, democracy suffers. Thankfully, leaders like Trump and Musk are standing up to say: *Enough.*
