Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)
Confirmed 35,218
Part of a series on Elon Musk. [View Related Entries]
Related Explainer: What Is The 'DOGE' State Department? Memes About Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy's 'Department Of Government Efficiency' Explained
Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)
Part of a series on Elon Musk. [View Related Entries]
[View Related Sub-entries]
Overview
Department of Government Efficiency or DOGE refers to a planned state department in the United States whose establishment was announced by President-elect Donald Trump in November 2024. The planned department will be headed by American entrepreneurs Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy. Following the announcement, the planned department, named after the Doge internet meme, became a subject of discussions and memes online.
History
Conception
On August 19th, 2024, in an interview with Reuters,[1] Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump said that, if elected, he would consider giving American entrepreneur and billionaire Elon Musk an advisory role in the new government.
On August 19th, the X[2] news account @WatcherGuru reported the news. On that day, X[3] user Sir Doge of the Coin (@dogeofficialceo) quoted the post with the comment, "Department Of Government Efficiency (DOGE) 😂", proposing a name for the future department headed by Musk. The proposed name referenced the well-known internet meme Doge, and, tangentially, the Dogecoin cryptocurrency, both popular with Musk in the past. The post (shown below) received over 1,200 reposts and 10,000 likes in three months.
In late August and early September 2024, several Dogecoin-associated accounts on X, including @dogeofficialceo and @cb_doge, posted memes promoting the idea of the Department of Government Efficiency. For example, on August 20th, @cb_doge made a post that received over 1,100 reposts and 5,700 likes on X[4] in three months.
On September 5th, 2024, speaking at the Economic Club of New York, Donald Trump said that at the suggestion of Musk, he would create a government efficiency commission tasked with conducting a complete financial and performance audit of the federal government, adding that Musk had agreed to head the commission.
On that day, X[5] user @alx posted the video, which received over 13,000 reposts and 62,000 likes in two months (shown below). Later on the same day, Musk quoted[6] the post, commenting, "This is badly needed."
This is badly needed https://t.co/H9AKYbDssZ
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 5, 2024
On September 6th, 2024, Musk, replying to another post about Trump's proposition, posted[7] an Office Space image macro and wrote, "The Department of Government Efficiency will be epic." On September 8th, Musk posted an AI-generated meme about the future department, which received over 94,000 reposts and 731,000 likes on X[8] in two months (shown below).
In the following weeks, Musk continued to make posts about the proposed commission, promoting the idea.[9]
Announcement
On November 12th, 2024, following his victory in the 2024 United States Presidential Election, President-elect Donald Trump issued[10] a statement announcing the creation of the Department of Government Efficiency, headed by Musk together with the American entrepreneur and politician Vivek Ramaswamy (statement shown below).
On that day, both Musk and Ramaswamy shared the statement on their social media.[11][12]
@DOGE Twitter / X Account
On November 12th, 2024, shortly after the confirmation of the organization, the official Department of Government Efficiency (@DOGE) account was created on Twitter / X.[16] In roughly 20 hours, the account accumulated over 255,300 followers. The account was notably given the grey-colored checkmark designating it as "an account [that] represents a government/multilateral organization or a government/multilateral official."
Its first post, following a retweet of the statement from Donald Trump, was a simple text post that read, "Working overtime to ensure your tax dollars will be spent wisely," which received over 5.6 million views, 52,000 likes, 9,900 retweets and 6,100 replies in one hour (seen below).
Online Reactions
The announcement of the department became a viral subject of memes and discussions on social media in mid-November 2024. Shortly following the announcement, X[13] user @SavinTheBees quoted it on November 12th, 2024, writing, "We're living in a South Park episode." The post (shown below) garnered over 830 reposts and 9,900 likes in one day.
On November 13th, 2024, X[14] user @draculavoice posted a Domino Effect meme referencing the connection between the planned department and the Doge meme that received over 4,400 reposts and 5,000 likes in one day (shown below).
Following the announcement, the price of the Dogecoin cryptocurrency notably spiked, rising from approximately 37 to 41 cents.[15]
$DOGE Meme Coin
On August 19th, 2024, Department Of Government Efficiency Euthereum-based meme coin, not affiliated with the department itself, was launched under $DOGE ticker, initially available through the Uniswap decentralized cryptocurrency exchange.[17][18] The coin's market cap peaked at over $423 million on November 13th shortly following the confirmation that the D.O.G.E. department would be established (CoinMarketCap[19] chart shown below).
The official account for the meme coin maintained an active presence on X / Twitter,[20] posting various memes[18] about the organization (example shown below).
Related Memes
Doge
Doge is a slang term for "dog" that is primarily associated with a photograph of Shiba Inus sitting on a couch. Following a period of original popularity in 2013 and 2014, the meme experienced an ironic and post-ironic resurgence in the late 2010s.
Various Examples
Search Interest
External References
[1] Reuters – Trump says he may end EV tax credit; is open to naming Elon Musk as an adviser
[2] X – @WatcherGuru
[3] X – @dogeofficialceo
[10] Truth Social – Donald J. Trump
[12] X – @VivekGRamaswamy
[13] X – @SavinTheBees
[14] X – @draculavoice
[15] CNBC – Dogecoin spikes after Trump announces a Department of Government Efficiency -- DOGE
[17] X – @doge_eth_gov
[18] Dexscreener – DOGE/WETH on Uniswap
[19] CoinMarketCap – Department Of Government Efficiency
[20] X – @doge_eth_gov
Related Entries 73 total
Sub-entries 3 total
Recent Videos
There are no videos currently available.
Recent Images 65 total
![The U.S. Weather Enterprise: A National Treasure at Risk DOWNLOAD PDF A Statement of the American Meteorological Society U.S. leadership in scientific innovation is at risk due to the recent and ongoing reductions in U.S. federal science capabilities. The consequences to the American people will be large and wide-ranging, including increased vulnerability to hazardous weather. The federal science workforce and federal investments in science are central to the success of the weather enterprise- the partnership between public, private, academic, and non-governmental organizations that provides information and services to protect people, businesses, and the environment. Estimates of the value of weather and climate information to the U.S. economy exceed $100 billion annually), roughly 10 times the investment made by U.S. taxpayers through the federal agencies involved in weather-related science and services. It is an internationally recognized and highly respected means of multiplying value and benefits to the American people. Recent terminations within the government workforce for science are likely to cause irreparable harm and have far- reaching consequences for public safety, economic well-being, and the United States' global leadership. The federal National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which includes the National Weather Service, is a vital partner in the weather enterprise, providing critical weather and climate information that helps keep the people of the United States informed, prepared, and safe. NOAA also provides crucial foundational support for the enterprise. This support includes collecting scientific observations and conducting scientific research, developing and improving weather and climate models, and the provision of public services such as weather forecasts and warnings, fisheries management, and marine protection. These products and services are freely accessible to all people, businesses, NGOs, and academic institutions. Other federal agencies, such as the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA), the Department of Energy's Office of Science, and the Department of Agriculture (USDA), also provide foundational observations, scientific understanding, computational resources, and services for the enterprise. Private businesses and NGOs use this foundation of science and services to create innovative, value-added products for their clients. Universities rely on NOAA data and models to advance knowledge and train the workforce of the future. As a result of these collaborative partnerships throughout the enterprise, the American people are safer, healthier, and more prosperous. This unique private-public partnership didn't happen by accident but by design and through persistent effort. Roles and responsibilities of private businesses, universities, the federal government, and NGOs in the enterprise have developed and adapted over decades to provide timely weather forecasts and information that protect people, improve livelihoods, save money, and add tremendous economic value to our nation. To ensure the continued success of the enterprise and the American people who depend upon it, the AMS urges strong support for NOAA and the other federal science agencies and extreme caution in altering federal roles and responsibilities within the weather enterprise. [1] Lazo, J. 2024: Communicating Forecast Uncertainty (CoFU) 2: Replication and Extension of a Survey of the US Public's Sources, Perceptions, Uses, and Values for Weather Information. An AMS Policy Program Study. The American Meteorological Society, Washington, D.C. https://doi.org/10.1175/cofu2-2024](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/list/003/021/435/85e.jpg "A Statement of the American Meteorological Society")
Share Pin
Related Entries 73 total
Sub-entries 3 total
Recent Images 65 total
Recent Videos 0 total
There are no recent videos.
Comments ( 263 )
Sorry, but you must activate your account to post a comment.
Please check your email for your activation code.