- A large sculpture of Elon Musk’s head on a trailer appeared at Arches National Park.
- The likeness had the message “MAKE AMERICA WAIT AGAIN” underneath it.
- Images of the giant head on social media drew hundreds of comments.
A large sculpture of Elon Musk’s head was pulled through Arches National park on a trailer this past Saturday. It first appeared in the long entrance line off U.S. 191 in the sweltering summer heat, with accompanying signs that read “MAKE AMERICA WAIT AGAIN” and “Now With Longer Lines Thanks to DOGE Cuts!”
The likeness of the world’s richest man and former lead of the Department of Government Efficiency was approximately 12 feet tall, according to Nancy Charmichael, who took pictures of the sculpture. She said that she saw it in the morning near the entrance and then throughout the day at various sites within the park.
“I think everyone thought it was kind of cool. I don’t think anyone was upset,” Charmichael said. “Maybe it was meant to be a serious thing, but personally, I just thought it was funny and something you don’t see every day.”
This past winter, Musk and the newly formed DOGE team executed a series of cuts to federal staffing levels that affected the jobs of thousands of people. The National Park Service lost at least 1,000 staffers to the cuts, with some assessments from conservation advocacy groups reporting that the agency is now operating with about 24% fewer staff members than it was in January.
After some of DOGE’s initial efforts were prevented by rulings from lower courts arguing that the executive branch does not have the authority to undo congressional action, the Supreme Court ruled last week that the Trump administration has the authority to continue culling the federal workforce. What this means for the National Park Service and the other large, federal bureaucracies is as of yet unknown.
Social media reaction
Charmichael posted the images she took on social media. They appeared on both Facebook and Reddit. In the latter, the posts in the r/NationalParkService feed received thousands of upvotes.
While the owner of the sculpture has not yet been identified and therefore the exact intentions of the effort have not yet been verified, commenters on social media suggested that it was a form of political protest.
“This is clearly a protest and a demonstration against DOGE, because they cut so many NPS staff,” one Reddit user wrote.
Another one read, “An excellent form of protest. After I read the sign, looked back up and noticed the arrogant smirk, masterfully rendered.”
KSL TV also posted the images to its Facebook page, where the photos received thousands of reactions and hundreds of comments that ran the full spectrum of response from frustration with DOGE to full-throated support.
“Supposed grown-ups spent time, money, and energy on this. That they can’t be bothered to investigate the facts brought them to this,” read one.
Charmichael has not seen the sculpture again in the park or in Moab, where she was still visiting as of Tuesday. Just like staffing levels in the National Park Service, it is as of yet unknown if the statue will show up at other popular national parks this summer.
