A discussion between CNN anchor Anderson Cooper and Chris Sununu, former Governor of New Hampshire, became tense on Tuesday, February 11, 2025, as they debated government efficiency measures. This incident marked two nights in a row of intense exchanges between CNN anchors and guests from the Republican Party.

The dispute took place during an analysis by Cooper of a meeting in the Oval Office involving Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, and his young son, X. The meeting involved the signing of an executive order on government reform. The prior evening witnessed a similar confrontation between Abby Phillip, a CNN host, and Scott Jennings, a conservative commentator.

The situation became more heated when Sununu lauded Musk’s openness in pinpointing government waste. Sununu stated, “I know what you’re not showing here, but Musk gave seven specific examples off the top of his head of where the corruption and fraud were.” To this, Cooper retorted, “But we didn’t see any of that. He doesn’t present any actual evidence.”

The argument continued when Sununu emphasized the fiscal implications of the program, claiming that it had generated daily savings of $2.3 billion in just 23 days of operation compared to the total savings of the previous year. This claim was questioned by Jeffrey Toobin, a legal analyst for CNN, who pressed Sununu for evidence to substantiate such high figures.

During the Oval Office meeting, Musk voiced his concern about government officials whose net worth far exceeded their salaries. Particularly, he pointed out USAID employees who had amassed tens of millions in net worth while earning only several hundred thousand dollars a year. He sarcastically suggested that their additional wealth could be attributed to their exceptional investment skills.

Musk acknowledged that the fast pace of his department could lead to errors, but assured that they would be quickly rectified. Comparing the intense scrutiny faced by his department to undergoing daily medical examinations, he humorously suggested setting up permanent living quarters for the examiners.

The executive order signed by Trump, which was not immediately released by the White House, intends to “significantly” reduce the federal workforce by hiring only one new employee for every four departures, according to Semafor’s reports. The Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) initial actions have mainly targeted USAID, sparking protests from Democratic lawmakers and federal workers.

The debate between Cooper and Sununu reached a climax when they disagreed on the spending of $59 million on migrant housing. Sununu shifted the focus to the misuse of FEMA funding for migrant support and questioned Cooper about his stance on such spending. Cooper denied any approval of such misuse and asked Sununu to stop misrepresenting his views. The discussion heated up when Cooper told Sununu, “Don’t be a d***,” stressing his concern over the misrepresentation of migrant accommodations as luxury facilities.

The incident ended with Cooper apologizing for his choice of words. Sununu later downplayed the exchange, comparing it to a political argument between friends over a beer.