Elon Musk’s Target List: Federal Workers on Edge

When President-elect Donald Trump announced that Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy would lead efforts to slash the federal government, many public employees braced for potential job cuts. But now, a new and more personal fear looms: being singled out by the world’s richest man and his massive online following.

Last week, Musk reposted two inflammatory X posts (formerly Twitter), revealing the names and titles of four federal employees in climate-related positions. These posts, viewed tens of millions of times, unleashed a torrent of negative comments and harassment. One of the women named has since deleted her social media accounts.

Though the information Musk shared is publicly accessible, the posts targeted relatively obscure government employees with limited public-facing roles. The result? A climate of fear among federal workers, many of whom now worry about their safety and future.

A Growing Sense of Danger

Several federal employees told CNN they’re terrified of becoming the next targets. Some fear physical threats or being forced out of their jobs as Musk escalates his campaign against “wasteful” government positions.

“These tactics are designed to instill fear in federal workers,” said Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), which represents over 800,000 civilian employees. “It’s an attempt to silence them and deter them from doing their jobs.”

This isn’t Musk’s.