Actor Mark Ruffalo has taken aim at Elon Musk in a pointed post on X, accusing the billionaire of opposing tax payments and government scrutiny over his contracts and activities involving the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
The actor also criticised what he characterised as Musk's complaints about electoral setbacks, reminding him that losing elections is part of the democratic process. Ruffalo's comments come just days before the 2026 US midterm elections, amid renewed attention on Musk's political spending and the possibility of congressional investigations into DOGE.
He also urged Musk to watch Alex Gibney's recently released documentary about the technology entrepreneur, adding another reference to a film that has attracted criticism from its subject.
Mark Ruffalo's X Post Targets Elon Musk Over DOGE and Political Accountability
In his post, Ruffalo addressed Musk directly, opening with the words, 'Elon, you goofy.' He then accused the billionaire of 'crashing out' because he did not want to pay taxes or face oversight of government money and contracts.
The actor questioned what Musk had done during his involvement with DOGE, writing: 'Don't want anyone looking into exactly what the F you did with DOGE.'
Elon, you goofy. 🤪Crashing out, because you don’t want to pay taxes. Don’t want some oversight into all the government money and contracts you made off with. Don’t want anyone looking into exactly what the F you did with DOGE. And whining about loosing an election. 🤪That’s…
— Mark Ruffalo (@MarkRuffalo) November 1, 2026
Ruffalo continued by invoking South Africa's past, telling Musk that the United States was not like the country under its former political system. He wrote: 'You will get use to it. Sometimes you lose. Believe me. That's what politics is.' He ended the message with: 'Oh. And. Watch the Elon Musk doc. It's wild.'
The post appeared on 1 November, the day after The Guardian published an investigation into Musk's financial support for Republican-aligned political groups. Ruffalo included a link to that report in his message, offering a possible indication of the immediate political context behind his criticism.
DOGE Oversight Questions and Elon Musk's Political Spending
A report published by the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) on 6 August examined DOGE's claims about savings from cancelled contracts, grants and leases.
The watchdog found that DOGE had incorrectly reported actions taken on government contracts. Of the 13,476 contracts the organisation claimed to have terminated, GAO found that 2,503 had no termination action recorded in the federal procurement database.
These contracts were associated with $27.4 billion (£20.6 billion) in reported savings. A further 1,856 contracts, accounting for $7.2 billion (£5.4 billion), could not be matched to the database because of missing identifying information.
GAO also found that only 27.5% of the reported contract savings, equivalent to $16.8 billion (£12.6 billion), followed DOGE's stated calculation methodology. Another $37 billion (£27.8 billion) was associated with calculations that did not follow that methodology or could not be independently determined.
The watchdog's findings highlighted limitations in the reliability and transparency of DOGE's reported savings.
A separate August report from GAO identified 206 DOGE personnel who held positions within the Executive Office of the President between January 2025 and January 2026.
The White House did not provide access to certain training records and financial disclosures, preventing the watchdog from independently confirming whether all relevant personnel had completed ethics and records-management training or filed the required disclosures.
The findings did not establish that the personnel had violated ethics requirements.
According to The Guardian's analysis of Federal Election Commission data, Musk had contributed at least $445.77 million (£332.9 million) to Republican-aligned political action committees and groups by 29 October.
Approximately $216 million (£161.3 million) went to his America PAC, which supported candidates in House and Senate contests across the country. His contributions have made him the largest single-cycle political donor in modern US history, according to the publication.
The Washington Post reported on 23 October that Musk had responded to the possibility of Democrats gaining control of Congress and investigating his business interests and DOGE's activities.
Musk wrote on X: 'Those who pick fights with me should understand that I will find out who is really pulling the strings and come for them, not just their puppets.' Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal said he would pursue investigations into Musk and DOGE if Democrats gained the necessary congressional authority.
California's Billionaire Tax Debate Adds Context to Ruffalo's Remarks
California's Proposition 40 is another development relevant to the discussion about billionaire taxation. The ballot measure proposes a one-time 5% tax on the wealth of qualifying billionaires.
The measure is scheduled to go before California voters on 3 November. Supporters say the money would help fund healthcare, while opponents argue that it could encourage wealthy residents and businesses to leave the state.
Musk publicly announced that he had moved his residence from California to Texas in December 2020, well before the measure's proposed residency cut-off of 1 January 2026. Based on that publicly reported move, he would not appear to meet the proposal's residency criteria.
However, his actual legal residency on the relevant date would determine whether the measure applied to him. Ruffalo did not identify a particular tax proposal or specify which taxes he believed Musk was seeking to avoid.
Elon Musk Documentary Draws Attention After Mark Ruffalo's Recommendation
The documentary mentioned by Ruffalo is Musk, directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney. Running for almost four hours, the film examines the entrepreneur's personal life, business ventures and growing involvement in American politics.
It premiered at the Venice Film Festival before receiving a theatrical release in the United States in October 2026. The production includes interviews with people who have known or worked with Musk, although the billionaire himself did not participate in an interview for the film.
Musk has publicly criticised the project, describing it as a 'hit piece that misses'. Separately, his lawyer threatened to sue Gibney for defamation, according to reports.
Gibney has also discussed difficulties surrounding the documentary's international distribution, although Universal Pictures has maintained that it remains committed to releasing the film outside North America.
The US midterm elections take place on 3 November, with voters deciding which parties will control the House of Representatives and Senate for the remainder of President Donald Trump's term.
While Ruffalo's reference to Musk 'losing an election' should not be read as confirmation of an election result, the possibility of a change in congressional control has already prompted discussion about future investigations.
Musk's response to the actor's latest remarks remains unconfirmed.
