'The DOGEfather': Elon Musk's cheeky tribute to iconic movie as he tightens grip on Washington

With Elon Musk's led Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, creating ripples in Washington over the last few days, the tech billionaire on Wednesday posted a rather amusing AI-generated picture of himself behind a desk with a DOGE nameplate.

In the picture, Musk is donning a leather jacket and a blingy chain, with the caption: "Can I help you?"

Later, he re-posted the picture again and described himself as "The DOGEfather".

The post is a playful nod to iconic movie 1972 mafia movie "The Godfather".

"She comes to me on this day of my DOGE’s wedding and makes these demands. But does she call me The DOGEfather? Is she even a friend? Buona sera, buono sera," Musk wrote in the caption.

She comes to me on this day of my DOGEs wedding and makes these demands.But does she call me The DOGEfather? Is she even a friend?Buona sera, buono sera https://t.co/fTW3SaN9mL Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 5, 2025

The phrase closely mirrors the famous scene from the movie, where Don Vito Corleone (played by Marlon Brando) is approached for a favor on the day of his daughter’s wedding.

Musk has frequently styled himself as "The Dogefather" due to his support for the Dogecoin and his new designation as the DOGE lead in the Donald Trump administration.

DOGE was originally headed by Musk and former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, who jointly vowed to cut billions from the federal budget and usher in “mass headcount reductions across the federal bureaucracy.”

Ramaswamy has since left DOGE as he mulls a run for governor of Ohio.

In the last two weeks, Musk and his allies at DOGE jhave pushed sweeping changes in the Capitol that have disrupted operations, sidelined career officials and triggered lawsuits.

The White House recently identified Musk as a “special government employee”, a designation that grants him authority while limiting standard employment restrictions.