DOGE Checks Creator Splits With Elon Musk
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The creator of the DOGE dividend checks has condemned Elon Musk's treatment of President Donald Trump on social media.
James Fishback, who first proposed the idea of a dividend for U.S. citizens based on the money saved by the Department of Government Efficiency, said that he was stepping away from DOGE, and that Musk "had to apologize" to the president after calling for him to be impeached.
Why It Matters
The clash between Trump and Musk on June 5 was a significant shake-up of the relationship that defined the first part of Trump's second administration.
The two men, both of whom are avid social media users, escalated rhetoric against each other. Musk said Trump would not have won the 2024 election without his help, and the president said Tesla was "having a hard time" and that Musk had been "wearing thin" when he left the White House at the end of May.
What To Know
Fishback, who served as an adviser to DOGE and proposed the idea of "DOGE Dividends" of $5,000 to each American taxpaying household, said he was stepping away from the unofficial department after Musk overstepped the mark in his disagreement with Trump.
"The truth is that Elon set expectations that he relayed to the president, me, and the country that he did not come close to fulfilling. That's disappointing, but OK," Fishback told Politico.
"What's not OK is his baseless personal attacks against President Trump."
Fishback has been critical of Musk for his clash with Trump on social media since it began, and has called for the tech CEO to apologize for his comments.
"Elon Musk has to apologize to President Trump for two things. First, randomly calling for the impeachment of the duly elected president of the United States over a policy disagreement," Fishback said on X, formerly Twitter, Musk's own social media platform.
Elon Musk, left, listens as U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters in the Oval Office of the White House on May 30, 2025, in Washington
Elon Musk, left, listens as U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters in the Oval Office of the White House on May 30, 2025, in Washington
Getty Images
"That's not OK. I mean, at least the Democrats had the common courtesy of making up the Ukraine hoax to then go after the president in his first term to impeach him. Elon Musk did so over a simple disagreement on a policy.
"Second, and it just pains me to bring this up, is the slanderous accusation that somehow the president of the United States was a coconspirator in a multi-decade sex trafficking ring of minors."
On Wednesday morning, Musk said that he regretted many of his comments from last week, and that "he went too far."
He did not specify which of his posts he regretted, but he had deleted his post that said Trump featured in the Jeffrey Epstein files on Saturday, a move which Fishback praised as "another good step."
Fishback did not become a formal employee of DOGE, but he popularized the idea of the DOGE dividend checks, which the Trump administration said were "under consideration."
What People Are Saying
James Fishback said in an interview with CNN: "President Trump is a father, a husband, and a grandfather. He has no association with Epstein whatsoever. He threw him out of his Mar-a-Lago Club because he was a scumbag.
"And now to have Elon Musk drag him in the mud? It's not OK. As Americans, we are allowed to disagree on the substance of the issue—but ad hominem attacks have no place in the public square."
What Happens Next
Musk has stepped away from his government work and is resuming focus on his tech companies. Trump has not yet responded to his expression of regret.
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