Guillaume Kasbarian tweeted his “congratulations” to Elon Musk. The boss of X, who wants to cut public spending, became Donald Trump's minister of “governmental efficiency”. This support comes as civil servant unions could soon strike.
A surprising message for the Minister of the Civil Service. Guillaume Kasbarian greeted Elon Musk in a tweet this Wednesday, November 13, sending him his “congratulations” after his appointment by Donald Trump as minister of “governmental efficiency”.
“Looking forward to sharing with you the best practices for dealing with excess bureaucracy, reducing administrative burdens and rethinking public organizations for the benefit of the efficiency of civil servants,” writes the member of Michel Barnier’s government on English.
A message against a backdrop of tensions with civil servants
Elon Musk, who largely financed the campaign of the American leader who emerged victorious in the presidential election last week, was given a mission: “dismantle government bureaucracy, slash excessive regulations, cut unnecessary spending, and restructure agencies federal”, according to a statement by Donald Trump.
An affirmed libertarian, the boss of theory that only “dominant males” should make political decisions.
The more than friendly signal from Guillaume Kasbarian arrives in a political context where the Minister of the Civil Service wants to increase measures. Passage of sick leave not covered by the employer from one to three days, freezing of the index point on which the salary of civil servants is calculated, end of a bonus in favor of purchasing power to compensate for inflation …
The minister, who defines himself as a “liberal”, wants to involve civil servants in the all-out hunt for savings launched by Michel Barnier. Enough to annoy public officials. The civil service inter-union will announce this Thursday, November 14, a possible strike action.
“Minister of Shame”
The words of Guillaume Kasbarian do not pass muster on the left either. The boss of La France insoumise, Manuel Bompard, denounces a “minister of shame” while his fellow MP Bastien Lachaud accuses him of being “Trumpist” and having “hatred of civil servants”.
Same story for the first secretary of the Socialist Party. “We thought that Trumpism in France was limited to the far right. We were wrong. We have Guillaume Kasbarian the French Elon Musk without electricity,” scolds Olivier Faure.
The president of environmentalists Marine Tondelier is concerned about a message from “Not le Gorafi”, this parody news site. Questioned after the Council of Ministers, the government spokesperson tried to defuse the controversy.
“Elon Musk and the Trump administration are not inspirations for the French government. We should not see any convergence there,” assured Maud Bregeon.
