Ro Khanna challenges Elon Musk to televised debate after online DOGE battle

Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) questions U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth as he testifies before the House Armed Services Committee April 29, 2026 in the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, DC. Win Mcnamee | Getty Images Potential 2028 presidential hopeful Rep. Ro Khanna challenged newly minted trillionaire Elon Musk to a televised debate on the impact of cuts made during Musk's time atop the Department of Government Efficiency initiative, following an ugly social media spat between the Silicon Valley congressman and tech titan. "I challenge him to a debate ... do it on CNN, do it on CNBC, do it at a university, he can pick the setting and let's debate what happened at DOGE, let's debate why I'm for a wealth tax," Khanna said Monday in an interview with CNBC. "We can have a conversation of ideas if he believes in free speech and free expression about these issues." The challenge came in response to an intense exchange earlier Monday on the social media platform X — which Musk owns — where the trillionaire said Khanna should be sued or even jailed. The California congressman had previously said Musk needs to answer for potential deaths caused by DOGE's shuttering of the U.S. Agency for International Development, which prompted Musk's ire. If it comes to fruition, it would pit the world's richest man against a rising contender for the White House in 2028 on a stage at a time when the Democratic Party is pushing new taxes on the wealthy and railing against billionaires .