The Hypocrisy of Trump and Elon Musk’s War on Remote Work
Donald Trump and Elon Musk have been vocal opponents of remote work. Musk has called it "morally wrong" and forced Tesla and Twitter employees back to the office. Trump has criticized federal workers for not physically returning to government buildings, arguing that remote work leads to inefficiency.

Yet, both men seem to operate under a different set of rules when it comes to their own work habits. During his presidency, Trump frequently worked from his private resort, Mar-a-Lago, and spent over 300 days golfing, often blending business with leisure. His insistence that government employees must be in the office contradicts his own history of remote leadership.

Musk, meanwhile, demands strict office attendance from his employees while managing multiple companies from wherever he happens to be—whether it’s a SpaceX launch site, his private jet, or even Twitter, where he spends hours engaging in online debates. If their argument is that remote work reduces productivity, their own lifestyles suggest otherwise.

Moreover, Trump’s claim that government employees need to be in person ignores a key reality: the federal government has long functioned remotely. Many government agencies coordinate with internal teams spread across different states, rarely working from the same physical location. Federal departments have been managing remote collaboration for years, long before work-from-home became mainstream. If the government itself relies on remote communication to function effectively, why should everyday workers be forced into offices?

At its core, the push against remote work isn’t about productivity—it’s about control. Despite overwhelming evidence that remote workers are often just as, if not more, productive than their office-based counterparts, leaders like Musk and Trump cling to outdated notions that physical presence equals effectiveness.

If Trump can run political campaigns from a golf course and Musk can lead global businesses from anywhere, then workers should have the same flexibility. Anything less is pure hypocrisy.