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What Is The 'DOGE' State Department? Memes About Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy's 'Department Of Government Efficiency' Explained
If you've seen Elon Musk posting AI-generated memes about something called the "Department of Government Efficiency" (yes, "DOGE"), you’re not hallucinating.
No, it’s not a crypto pump-and-dump scheme this time, at least not directly.
Instead, Musk and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy are spearheading a new federal agency that sounds like a startup pitch gone too far because nothing says streamlined government like memes and billionaires with Twitter fingers.
So, what’s this DOGE department all about, and is it wagging tails or raising eyebrows? Let’s find out.
Where Did The Idea For A 'DOGE' Department Come From?
When Atsuko Sato snapped that now-iconic picture of her Shiba Inu in 2010, she probably didn’t imagine it would inspire a cryptocurrency and a government agency. But here we are, with Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy at the helm of the Department of Government Efficiency, or "DOGE."
When President-elect Donald Trump teased the idea of Musk joining his hypothetical administration in 2024, the internet did what it does best; it memed it into existence.
Enter X user Sir Doge of the Coin, who jokingly proposed the "Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)," a fictional agency combining Musk's fixation with optimization and the beloved Shiba Inu meme. What started as a throwaway post quickly gained traction, blending political satire with internet absurdity in a way only 2024 could deliver.
A few months later, Musk himself shared an AI-generated image of him dressed in all-black with a sign that spelled out "DOGE."
Musk's post was inspired by an announcement made by Trump that same day in September when he talked about his plans to implement "a Government efficiency Commission tasked with conducting a complete financial and performance audit of the entire federal government and making recommendations for drastic reforms," with Musk seconding the statement.
This is badly needed https://t.co/H9AKYbDssZ
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 5, 2024
When Did Trump Officially Announce DOGE?
Donald Trump announced that Elon Musk and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy would co-lead the actual DOGE department on November 12th, 2024, as part of an official statement. Designed to cut bureaucratic red tape, the department was pitched as a government reimagined through a Silicon Valley lens.
Musk added an official Department of Government Efficiency (@DOGE) account to Twitter / X the same day, giving it a grey-colored checkmark that designates it as an official government organization.
The account raked in over 200,000 followers on its first day, tweeting out the phrase, "Working overtime to ensure your tax dollars will be spent wisely," to the tune of 5 million views in an hour.
How Did People React To The Department Of Government Efficiency?
People's reactions to the announcement were mixed, with Trump detractors letting out the online equivalent of a loud groan upon hearing the word "DOGE" in such an official context. Jokes about Trump's team being the most "Reddit" government ever began making the rounds, while other people joked about how the news sounded like a South Park special.
But Trump's supporters relished the news, posting memes and jokes about how Ramaswamy and Musk would cut various government agencies down to size by throttling what they saw as "unnecessary" funding.
For the full history of The Department Of Government Efficiency (DOGE), be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.
