By
On the heels of Elon Musk’s exit from the federal government, Rachel Maddow shared the metaphor she believes best sums up the billionaire’s time in Washington.
During Monday’s show, Maddow highlighted one particular agency that was targeted by Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, aka DOGE. In March, the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) sued DOGE after it faced a “takeover by force” of its Washington headquarters. With the help of law enforcement, DOGE seized USIP’s building and laid off the independent agency’s employees.
Earlier this month, a federal judge ruled that the takeover was illegal and ordered the Trump administration to return the headquarters to USIP. When employees returned, they found the office in a state of disarray, full of water damage, rats and roaches, according to a sworn statement from the agency’s chief executive.
While Maddow acknowledged that many have used Musk’s black eye, on display during his Oval Office goodbye last week, as a metaphor for his time with the White House, she argued that USIP provided a more “on the nose” way to describe the billionaire’s legacy.
“A building seized pointlessly, shut down pointlessly, left to be infested by vermin — all so its rightful owners can eventually come back and have to put it all back together again. For no reason at all,” Maddow said. “I think that’s a better metaphor.”
You can watch Maddow’s full take on Musk’s exit above.