Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley described Elon Musk as a “Nazi nepo baby, a godless lawless billionaire” while leading a cohort of Democratic lawmakers protesting the Trump administration’s assault on government spending late Tuesday. Her choice words come as Democrats are ramping up the vitriol in their attacks on the Tesla chief executive and his multi-pronged efforts to root out what he says is wasteful use of taxpayers’ money. 

The so-called “Nobody Elected Elon” demonstration, outside the Treasury Department at Washington, D.C., featured dozens of prominent congressional Democrats, including Maxine Waters and Al Green and Senators Schumer, Blumenthal, and Merkley. The protesters gathered in response to reports that Mr. Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency task force were given access to the Treasury Department’s payments database, which holds federal financial information.

The billionaire businessman, who publicly supported Mr. Trump’s campaign, was selected by the 47th president to spearhead the effort to cut government waste and reduce federal regulations via the newly-created DOGE.

“There’s absolutely no reason Elon Musk needs access to the system that pays your Social Security check,” Ms. Pressley wrote on X. 

The Massachusetts congresswoman later shared on X a video of her speaking during the rally, tacking on the message: “I am so tired of these billionaire boys and their grubby little hands grabbing at everything.” 

The Senate minority leader, Chuck Schumer, voiced a similar sentiment, decrying Mr. Musk’s DOGE as an “unelected shadow government” that is “conducting a hostile takeover of the federal government.” 

Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett, while speaking at the rally, upped the ante, directing a warning straight to Messrs. Trump and Musk promising “we are going to be in your faces, we’re gonna be on your ass, we’re going to make sure you understand that this is what democracy looks like.” Congresswoman LaMonica McIver declared “we are at war” and called for the protesters to “shut down the city.” 

Mainstream press outlets joined the hype, with the Associated Press declaring that “Trump and Musk’s dismantling of government is shaking the foundations of US democracy.” 

Mr. Musk shrugged off the flurry of criticism, reckoning that “Hysterical reactions like this is how you know that @DOGE is doing work that really matters.” He continued: “This is the one shot the American people have to defeat BUREAUcracy, rule of the bureaucrats, and restore DEMOcracy, rule of the people. We’re never going to get another chance like this.” 

By the tail end of the demonstration, it came out that Mr. Musk’s team had only been given “read-only” access to “coded data” of the government’s payments system, Bloomberg reported. 

Mr. Musk’s aggressive DOGE, however, is just one issue that has struck a chord with Democrats since Mr. Trump has taken office. Demonstrations against the Trump administration are being planned in cities across the country, with participants united by the hashtags “#buildtheresistance” and “#50501” which stands for 50 protests, 50 states, one day.

Democrats on Capitol Hill have been growing more vociferous in their complaints about the 47th president on television as well. Earlier this week, Ms. Crockett went on CNN’s Laura Coates Live show to discuss the news that the president had reappointed a speechwriter, Darren Beattie, criticized for speaking at a conference attended by what were said to be white nationalists. 

Ms. Coates mentioned Mr. Beattie’s comment last year that “our entire national ideology is predicated on coddling the feelings of women and minorities, and demoralizing competent white men.”

Ms. Crockett responded by declaring that “I am tired of the white tears” from those like Mr. Beattie, adding that “the only people that are crying are the mediocre white boys that have been beaten out by people that historically have had to work so, so much harder.”

Later on in the interview, Ms. Crockett took a swipe at Mr. Trump’s deportation plans, declaring that “The only people that came and colonized this place are your ancestors, Trump.” 

By Wednesday, the White House fired back at the rhetoric, condemning the recent “calls for violence” from “radical lawmakers.” The office of communications referenced Ms. McIver’s declaration of “war” during Tuesday’s protest outside of the Treasury Department and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’s recent call for his members to “fight” against Mr. Trump’s agenda “in the streets.” The White House added: “The lack of condemnation over this type of unhinged behavior is deafening.”