behind the scenes, the richest man on the globe had quietly recruited tech executives and a slew of young coders, who would quickly deliver shock treatment to one of the world’s largest bureaucracies. ... Emissaries from Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency have infiltrated major agencies, fired or suspended tens of thousands of civil servants, and gained access to reams of sensitive security, health and financial data.

Any doubts about Doge’s efficacy were set aside by the opening salvos in Musk’s cost-cutting drive, as his team rapidly became the government’s de facto human resources department, offering buyouts to millions of employees, and getting rid of diversity, aid and development programmes.

Doge has yet to take aim at social security and Medicaid payments on which tens of millions of Americans rely or at the Department of Defense, which together account for the largest chunk of federal spending. Trump has vowed to not touch welfare benefits in “any way, shape or form”, while the Republican-led Congress is highly unlikely to sanction significant cuts to the Pentagon’s budget.

"Musk has morphed into the most prominent of the so-called techno-libertarians in Silicon Valley, who believe government regulations hinder innovation and profits."