In his first appearance at the Conservative Political Action Conference, Elon Musk waved a DOGE-themed chainsaw above his head and gushed over his role in helping President Trump dismantle the federal bureaucracy.

Sporting black sunglasses and a black Make America Great Again baseball hat, Mr. Musk received a hero’s welcome when he took the stage.

Then, he waved a chainsaw above his head that Argentine President Javier Milei had gifted him earlier in the evening.

Asked whether he ever imagined being on stage at CPAC and serving as Mr. Trump’s eyes and ears at the Department of Government Efficiency, Mr. Musk said, “No.”

“But it is cool.”

He added: “This is awesome.”

Mr. Musk, in a matter of months, has become one of the most polarizing figures in national politics.

Democrats criticized him for supporting Mr. Trump in the 2024 presidential. Now, they are training their fire at the role he has assumed as an adviser to the Department of Government Efficiency, which targets wasteful spending. 

Meanwhile, Republicans have welcomed him with open arms and cast him as an eccentric genius.

Mr. Musk told the CPAC crowd that Mr. Trump is serious about using some of the savings that DOGE finds to dole out $5,000 dividend checks to Americans.

He also dismissed some of the attacks that have been leveled against him, including the idea that he wanted to make changes to the federal government that would benefit him financially and hurt working-class Americans.

On Thursday, Mr. Musk joked, “If I steal from Social Security, I can finally buy nice things.” 

He also mocked the idea he is working for Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying, “he can’t afford me.”

Mr. Musk said the amount of wasteful spending in the federal government is astounding and that he is “trying to get good things done and also have a good time doing it.”

“The left wanted to make comedy illegal,” he said shortly after waving the chainsaw around. “It is like: legalize comedy.”