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Musk’s DOGE Chainsaw Wasn’t Even Made in America

The machine—which Musk brandished at a conservative conference last month—was made by Mariano “Tute” Di Tella in Buenos Aires.

The chainsaw Elon Musk used to symbolize the Department of Government Efficiency’s cost-cutting spree was not even made in America. Last month at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, D.C., Argentine President Javier Milei handed Musk the machine that he then brandished on stage. Milei commissioned fellow countryman Mariano “Tute” Di Tella to make the piece in Buenos Aires—and didn’t even pay him. “Money doesn’t have any power over my art,” Di Tella said. The artist, who said the raw materials cost him around $500, added that Milei’s spokesman, Manuel Adorni, also asked him to build one for President Donald Trump. The process usually takes six weeks, but Adorni wants it done in 20 days. The machine will feature the words Viva La Libertad Carajo! (Long Live Freedom Dammit!) on the blade. Di Tella said The Texas Chain Saw Massacre inspired him. “When I saw that movie, I loved it, not for the murders, but the chainsaw itself—big, spectacular,” he said.