It was the tweet heard ‘round the political world. On a Sunday in late 2024, Senator Bernie Sanders—a man who basically built his brand on "tax the billionaires"—posted four words that nobody expected to see in that order: "Elon Musk is right." People lost their minds. Critics on the left thought the Senator had finally cracked, while folks on the right were doing victory laps. But if you actually look at the context, it wasn’t some sudden bromance between the democratic socialist and the Tesla CEO. It was about one thing and one thing only: the Pentagon’s absolutely massive, unchecked spending habit.
The Pentagon Audit That Created an Unlikely Alliance
So, why did Bernie say Bernie Sanders Elon Musk is right? Well, it all comes down to the Department of Defense.
In late 2024, the Pentagon failed its seventh consecutive audit. Imagine if you lost track of your car keys; now imagine if you lost track of billions of dollars every single year for nearly a decade. That’s essentially what the U.S. military has been doing. Musk, who was newly appointed to lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) alongside Vivek Ramaswamy, started blasting the Pentagon for its $886 billion budget and its inability to account for where the cash goes.
Bernie jumped on it. He didn't do it because he likes Musk. He did it because he’s been saying the exact same thing for thirty years.
Sanders pointed out that last year, only 13 senators had the guts to vote against a defense budget filled with "waste and fraud." To Bernie, if Elon Musk wants to use his new role to gut the military-industrial complex, then for once, they’re singing from the same songbook.
Why the Pentagon Keeps Failing
- The Scale: We're talking about $3.8 trillion in assets and $4 trillion in liabilities.
- The Systems: The DoD uses thousands of different accounting systems that don't talk to each other.
- The Culture: There's a "use it or lose it" mentality with budgets that encourages reckless spending at the end of the fiscal year.
It’s Not All Sunshine and Rainbows
Don’t get it twisted. Just because Bernie agreed with Elon on the Pentagon doesn’t mean they’re getting lunch together. In fact, throughout 2025 and into early 2026, the rhetoric has actually gotten nastier.
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Bernie has spent the last year calling Musk the face of a "new American oligarchy." He’s been particularly vocal about Musk’s influence in the Trump administration, even jokingly (but not really) referring to him as "President Musk." The beef isn't just about personality; it's about what Musk is doing with his power.
While Musk is looking to slash government spending across the board, Sanders is terrified that "efficiency" is just a code word for gutting Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. To Bernie, Musk isn't a "maker" (as Elon calls himself); he’s someone who has benefited from billions in government subsidies while opposing the very programs that keep working-class families afloat.
The AI Utopia vs. The Job Apocalypse
One of the most fascinating clashes lately has been over the future of work. Musk is out here promising a "universal high income" where robots do everything and everyone lives in a high-tech paradise.
Bernie’s response? "How?"
He’s been grilling Musk on the floor of the Senate and in video messages, asking who is going to own those robots. If a handful of billionaires own all the AI, what happens to the millions of people whose jobs just vanished? Sanders is pushing for a 32-hour work week with no loss in pay, while Musk is more focused on the "adventure" of technological disruption.
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The $1 Trillion Pay Package
Things hit a boiling point in late 2025 when Tesla’s board proposed a compensation package that could eventually make Musk the world’s first trillionaire.
Bernie went off. He called the plan "grossly immoral" and "insane economics." He used the news to push his Tax Excessive CEO Pay Act, which basically says if you pay your CEO more than 50 times what your average worker makes, your corporate tax rate goes up.
Musk, never one to stay quiet, fired back on X, calling Sanders a "taker" and a "coward." It’s a classic ideological war: Musk believes in the "Great Man" theory of history where geniuses drive progress, and Sanders believes that progress is built by the workers who actually turn the wrenches and write the code.
What This Means for You
So, why does the Bernie Sanders Elon Musk is right moment matter today? It matters because it shows that even in the most polarized political climate we’ve ever seen, there are weird pockets of agreement.
If you’re watching the news in 2026, you’re seeing a massive tug-of-war over the very soul of the federal government. On one side, you have the DOGE crowd trying to "blow up" the bureaucracy. On the other, you have the old-school progressives trying to protect the safety net.
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But both sides agree on one thing: the current system is broken, bloated, and serves the interests of the powerful over the taxpayers.
Actionable Insights for the "New Economy"
If you're trying to navigate this landscape, here is what you actually need to keep an eye on:
- Watch the Pentagon Budget: If Musk actually succeeds in cutting defense waste, it could free up hundreds of billions. The big question is whether that money goes to tax cuts for the rich or social programs for the poor.
- Monitor AI Legislation: Sanders is pushing for "robot taxes" and stricter regulations. If you’re in an industry vulnerable to automation, your future might depend on who wins this legislative battle.
- Check Your Own Taxes: With the "Tax Excessive CEO Pay Act" and other billionaire taxes on the table, the corporate landscape is shifting. Companies that maintain huge pay gaps might start seeing their margins squeezed by new tax penalties.
At the end of the day, Bernie Sanders agreeing with Elon Musk was a glitch in the matrix—a rare moment where the far-left and the libertarian-right found a common enemy in the "Military-Industrial Complex." But as 2026 rolls on, that brief moment of peace has been replaced by a high-stakes battle over who really runs America.
For the average person, the best move is to stay informed on the actual policy shifts rather than the Twitter (X) spats. The headlines are loud, but the budget lines are where the real power lies.