Washington Post opted not to publish anti-Musk ad campaign after initially being open

The Washington Post scrapped an upcoming print ad from a pair of advocacy groups calling for the firing of Elon Musk as head of the Department of Government and Efficiency.

The Washington Post scrapped an upcoming print ad from a pair of advocacy groups calling for the firing of Elon Musk as head of the Department of Government Efficiency. The nixed wrap ad — one of two ads purchased for $115,000 by Common Cause and the Southern Poverty Law Center Action Fund that were slated to run on Tuesday — shows the White House superimposed over Musk with a bright red backdrop and the caption “Who’s running this country: Donald Trump or Elon Musk?” The wrap adds that Musk has “created chaos and confusion” and “is accountable to no one by himself.” “The Constitution only allows for one president at a time,” the wrap notes. The pair of ads are part of a petition from Common Cause and SPLC to “raise a massive public outcry demanding US lawmakers take action before more damage is done.” At the time of publication, the petition had 95,556 signatures. The ads come as President Trump has given Musk’s DOGE apparent free rein to bulldoze the federal workforce as the duo looks to slash the federal budget, though Trump insists Musk does nothing without his approval. Musk and his staff have been hampered to some degree by recent lawsuits, but the media mogul’s carte blanche has led to speculation that he is the real power behind the Resolute Desk. After sending the Post the artwork on February 11, Common Cause was told three days later that the Post would not be able to run the wrap, a spokesperson for the group told CNN. The advocacy groups had signed a contract with the Post and were waiting for a final review from the newspaper before sending over the funds.