Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have become targets of intense anger from many within the Democratic Party.

Yet in an unexpected turnabout, Musk recently uncovered a video clip of former President Barack Obama calling for actions similar to the ones that DOGE has taken. 

Musk shares video of Obama dating back to 2011

According to Fox News, the footage was shot in 2011 and shared on Friday by Musk via his X account. The billionaire included a caption which read, "Obama sounds exactly like (DOGE)!!"

"Everyone knows that getting rid of the deficit requires some tough decision. And that includes cutting back on billions of dollars in programs that a lot of people care about," Obama could be heard saying.

Obama sounds exactly like @DOGE!! https://t.co/k92s04pJdY

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 14, 2025

"But what should be easy is getting rid of the pointless waste and stupid spending that doesn’t benefit anybody," the then president continued.

"Sure, some of these cuts aren’t that big, but no amount of waste is acceptable. Not when it’s your money," Obama asserted.

Obama pointed to "thousands of buildings across the country that no one uses"

"Did you know the federal government pays for a website devoted to a folk music ensemble made up of forest rangers?" he asked before adding, "They’re called the ‘Fiddlin’ Foresters.’"

"I’ll put their music on my iPod, but I’m not paying for their website, and there are hundreds of similar sites that we should consolidate or just get rid of," Obama went on to remark.

The 44th president then went on to lament that taxpayer dollars are being used to maintain "thousands of buildings across the country that no one uses."

Musk's decision to circulate the video came roughly a month after two former members of Obama's administration expressed grudging admiration for DOGE.

Two former Obama White House staffers wish administration had cut waste

According to the New York Post, former Obama speechwriters Jon Favreau and Jon Lovett commented on DOGE's performance during a segment of the left-leaning podcast "Pod Save America."

"Honestly, some of this is pretty annoying because it’s some of the stuff we should’ve done. We didn’t know you could do some of this," Lovett said of DOGE's accomplishments.

Favreau expressed agreement, stating, "We all know that government is slow. We all know government can be inefficient. We all know that the bureaucracy can be bloated."