Senator Mark Kelly has a deeper understanding of Elon Musk than the average American.
As a Democrat from Arizona, Kelly is a former NASA astronaut and Navy pilot. He previously provided consultation to SpaceX on crew safety and attended meetings with Musk. He also drove a Tesla, though he made headlines this year when he decided to stop driving it.
Kelly represents the conflicting feelings many Democrats have regarding Musk and has become one of the billionaire’s prominent critics in Washington. As the Trump administration approaches its 100th day, I spoke with Kelly about his encounters with Musk on X and the actual influence Democrats have in reversing Musk’s impactful decisions.
JB: You’re one of many Democrats who have chosen to give up their Teslas. Do you miss it?
MK: Not at all. I did appreciate its performance; the acceleration is remarkable. It felt somewhat like being launched off an aircraft carrier. I was on the U.S.S. Lincoln about a year ago in an F-18 and realized that a Tesla isn’t quite the same experience.
It was enjoyable to drive, but I found it inconvenient—though I was only using it for less than 200 miles a month, I had to charge it every week and constantly think about when I would next plug it in.
Have you replaced it with something else?
Yes, I got a Tahoe.
Elon Musk has been pivotal in certain aspects of recent Democratic messaging. For you, it’s personal because Musk criticized you during a dispute on X involving your brother, astronaut Scott Kelly, and then he labeled you a “traitor” after your trip to Ukraine.
He called me a traitor for doing my job and supporting our ally, which is almost humorous because if I’m the traitor, then that means he supports Russia.
He made this a personal attack. Honestly, I don’t mind what he says about me.
What do you feel when the richest person in the world calls you a traitor? Do you face more threats?
I feel like the intensity of threats has increased a bit. It’s not just me; Gabby [Giffords, his wife and former congresswoman] also experiences threats. Despite her having been shot in an assassination attempt, people still threaten her.
My family knows that entering public service can invite risks.
Elon’s childish behavior might not matter much, but the real issue is the harm he’s causing to our country and to government agencies that assist both citizens and allies globally through initiatives like USAID.
I support the need to find ways to cut federal spending, but this isn’t the solution. Bringing in one individual with a team to indiscriminately slash budgets without a comprehensive analysis is not what voters expected when they chose Trump.
You mentioned an important point that cutting government spending is generally popular.
It absolutely should be.
Opposition to cuts in foreign aid doesn’t seem popular. Is there any political risk for Democrats in opposing Musk’s reductions?
Sometimes, doing the right thing requires taking risks, aiming to steer us back on track. I won’t support cuts to food assistance pushed by Elon or anyone else. Just the other day, I spoke with Cindy McCain [executive director of the World Food Program]; her budget has been drastically cut, forcing her to choose who gets food and who doesn’t due to decisions made by Elon Musk and Donald Trump. These choices have real consequences.
I understand that it may be hard for people to accept spending money abroad to help others. However, we are the leaders of the free world, and without U.S. leadership, the global landscape becomes significantly more perilous.
We can put resources into addressing crises, like famine in Sudan or Afghanistan, or we can invest more in military expenditure.
Someone criticizing foreign aid today might find themselves sending their child overseas for a war that could have been avoided had we invested in preventive measures instead of cutting aid.
What actions can Democrats take to counteract DOGE or halt Musk’s agenda?
I regularly discuss this with my Arizona attorney general to explore legal actions we can take.
We are urging our Republican colleagues to hold hearings and to reconsider these cuts, trying to pull them into the discussion.
Is this strategy paying off?
It’s a slow journey, but I believe it is effective. Asking, ‘How do you feel about the funding cuts to your university’s research?’ makes them reconsider. It’s a gradual process, akin to turning a massive ship.
Have Democrats learned any lessons in the past 100 days regarding their approach to Musk and DOGE?
According to the White House, Musk may not be around for much longer. However, we’ve seen Trump change his views almost daily. The real concern is who may take his place—perhaps one of his younger associates.
Just because someone is…
Elon Musk may excel at specific tasks, like rocket building, but he doesn’t seem to excel in other areas.
It appears that Donald Trump perceives himself as the smartest person because he is one of the wealthiest, but that’s not how intelligence works.
This dialogue has been shortened and edited for better understanding.
IN THE MEANTIME on X
Interrupted by dental issues? I’ve got solutions for that
Musk is utilizing his X account as a platform to amplify his message. My colleague, Steven Lee Myers, who focuses on misinformation, looked into Musk’s current priorities.
Musk’s shift away from his role in federal cost-cutting is becoming more apparent as he concentrates on his businesses. He took the opportunity of recent power outages in Spain, Portugal, and France to promote Tesla and Starlink.
His comments were triggered by a post from a Spanish-American supporter of Trump, Ada Lluch, who has over 300,000 followers. She expressed her frustration on X, mentioning that the blackout had interfered with her grandfather’s dental surgery in Spain.
“My grandpa was in the middle of surgery, and I can’t reach them,” she lamented in several posts criticizing the Spanish government.
Musk responded, saying, “Tesla Powerwall and Starlink should still function,” referencing his company’s home battery and satellite service.
— Steven Lee Myers
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‘Every week feels like being on “Chopped”’
The Trump administration has reduced federal assistance to anti-hunger organizations by $1 billion, according to the group Feeding America. This month, my colleague David Fahrenthold visited a charity in Charleston, W.Va. to observe the impact of these cuts.
He encountered Sara Busse, who was preparing vegetable soup, dried cranberries, and crackers for 40 seniors in need. Food pantries statewide are trying to do more with significantly fewer resources due to the Agriculture Department’s drastic reduction in free food deliveries. Busse felt as if she were on a challenging reality show, striving to create 600 meals a week from a shrinking food supply.
Using $35 from the church’s budget, she purchased ground beef and chicken stock to enhance the limited government-provided soup. She arranged for someone to donate three spinach salads, which she paired with cranberries. The crackers served as her source of carbohydrates.
Find out more here.
