Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy raised concerns over whether Elon Musk’s can run Tesla while slashing costs at the US government as the head of DOGE, the Department of Government Efficiency.
During a Friday appearance on Fox’s “Varney & Co.” Portnoy said he is “entitled to ask” given the massive drop in the company’s stock during the past month.
Portnoy also claimed he was asked to join President Donald Trump’s Department of Commerce under the condition he would stop running Barstool Sports.
Portnoy quickly added, however, that “they don’t follow through” and said he did not know “if [the offer] was serious if I said yes.”
Portnoy didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment from The Post on the job offer claim.
Portnoy connected the job offer to concerns about Musk’s ability to hold two major positions at once. “If you’re running a company, it’s tough to run the government, it would seem,” Portnoy said.
Portnoy said it could be a “coincidence the stock was down 25% since he started DOGE,” but reiterated that he thinks shareholders have the right to ask Musk about his abilities to run both DOGE and Tesla.
“I like DOGE, I like what they’re doing. But let me tell you this. If you’re going to send emails to federal workers and say ‘what have you done for the last five days,’ I think Tesla shareholders are entitled to ask their CEO Elon Musk ‘what have you done for Tesla the last five days.’ I mean, seemingly all he cares about right now is DOGE,” Portnoy said.
Portnoy, who goes by “El Presidente,” garnered a strong fanbase between Barstool’s sports journalism and pop culture-related content and has since attracted a large social media presence. Portnoy gained popularity filming “one bite pizza reviews” and at times, donating to pizza shops in financial struggle.
Portnoy has labeled himself a libertarian and has since gained a prominent voice expressing his take on politics.
Portnoy’s net worth was $100M in 2020, according to the New York Times.
