Secret power in the shadows Musk's "wunderkinder" take over the US government - and they are only in their early 20s
In their early 20s, successful, controversial: a group of young men are turning the US administration upside down for Elon Musk. With these tech experts, the Republicans have an ultra-conservative fighting force for the future.
26.02.2025, 15:01
26.02.2025, 15:08
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- US authorities under pressure: Elon Musk has appointed a host of young men from his tech companies and their environment to his "efficiency committee" Doge.
- For young men who feel disadvantaged, they are proof that they too can have power.
- This plays into the hands of the Republicans and causes headaches for the Democrats.
A group of young techies is also driving forward the cutbacks in the US bureaucracy under tech billionaire and government advisor Elon Musk. Many see the fact that Elon Musk and his disciples have access to sensitive government data as an unregulated threat to the privacy of American citizens.
Conservative voices, on the other hand, describe the group of young engineers - many of them only in their early 20s - as some of the brightest minds who can save the US government from an overflowing bureaucracy. At a time when the Democratic Party is finding it increasingly difficult to attract young voters, especially young men, the "child prodigies" are a welcome marketing strategy for the Republicans.
Musk's disciples can get away with anything
"Wunderkinder" - the term was coined by Charlie Kirk, founder of the Turning Point group, which organized election campaigns for the Republicans. He also describes the young engineers as "all stars" with IQs that could "melt any graph".
"This is a takeover of the federal government by Generation Z, the millennials," Kirk said on his podcast in early February. "And we always thought it was coming from the left. But now the young guns are taking over the country for the better."
Since President Donald Trump's return to the White House, the Musk-led cost-cutting body Doge has made major inroads into federal agencies. It is radically reforming the US administration and accessing sensitive taxpayer data in the process. Many of the Doge engineers identified in media reports have a connection to Musk's company or his long-time business partner Peter Thiel, as the tech magazine "Wired" reports.
In a controversy over racist social media posts, one of them resigned - and was then quickly reinstated. The "Wall Street Journal" had linked 25-year-old Marko Elez to an account that had posted posts such as "I was racist before it was cool" and "Normalizes hatred of Indians". Kirk and other conservative podcasters have celebrated the young engineers for lending their talents to the U.S. government.
Republicans ensnare disaffected young men
The boost for Musk's engineers is also emblematic of how Republicans managed to steal many younger voters away from Democrats in November's election.
Trump's Democratic challenger Kamala Harris narrowly won among voters under the age of 30. Almost half voted for Trump. In the previous election in 2020, Democrat Joe Biden had won over six out of ten voters from this age group. Other age groups also moved towards Trump last year, but nowhere was the willingness to switch as great as among young people.
Alex Dwyer interprets the success of the young Doge crew as a sign of profound change. The 28-year-old chairman of the Kansas Federation of Young Republicans had long felt that young people were being overlooked in the world of work and government. Doge is now showing "that our talents and skills are finally being financially recognized as valuable". The party has "finally woken up". If you want to be attractive to young people, you have to involve them.
Trump's election campaign was particularly aimed at young men like Dwyer. These are men who are worried about the economy and feel disadvantaged by the growing involvement of women in politics and so-called "culture wars", said Melissa Deckman. She is executive director of the Public Religion Research Institute and author of the book "The Politics of Gen Z: How the Youngest Voters Will Shape Our Democracy": The Politics of Gen Z: How the Youngest Voters Will Shape Our Democracy).
By focusing on alternative media such as right-leaning podcasts and social media sites, the Trump administration met young men where they were. Celebrating Doge on social media and podcasts continued this strategy by reiterating the message that young men were a priority.
Democrats under pressure
Historically, the Republicans have been seen as the party of "old white men" who don't pass on the baton. But suddenly there is a cultural shift emphasizing the contributions of young people, Deckman said. When it comes to passing the torch, however, the Democrats have been "not very successful" in recent times. Young people are fed up with that, he said.
John Della Volpe, director of elections at the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics, said that the Democrats also have many young people in responsible jobs. "They're just not as good at letting us know about it." Watching the Doge engineers make a real impact could be an important signal to young people that could make it even harder for Democrats to attract a younger generation.
Basil Smikle, a Democratic political strategist and Columbia University professor, said many disadvantaged young men may see Doge as proof that they can have power. He appealed to the leaders of his own party to clear the way for young people and ensure more diversity. "If you don't do that, the Republicans will go back to the same playbook and beat us every time."
