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EXCLUSIVE: During this high summer season, visitors to several of America’s most iconic national parks have found themselves face to face with something unexpected: the towering 12-foot-sculpted head of Elon Musk, smirking confidently atop a trailer.Â
It’s flanked by patriotic stars and a two-part message: “MAKE AMERICA WAIT AGAIN” and, in bold yellow below, “Now With Longer Lines Thanks to DOGE Cuts.”
The sculpture has made surprise appearances at Arches, Yosemite and Mt. Rainier National Parks, drawing curious crowds and fueling viral conversations online.
Now, the anonymous organizer behind the spectacle has come forward exclusively to Fox News Digital to explain why he built it, why he picked Musk — President Donald Trump’s former Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) leader and policy advisor — and why he wanted it seen in America’s favorite outdoor spaces.
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Elon Musk’s head backs up in traffic at Mt. Rainier National Park in Washington state, where peak summer visitation, has led to extended wait times. (Obtained by Fox News Digital)
“You’re not the first outlet people would expect to run this,” the anonymous backer said during a phone interview. “Which is exactly why I wanted to talk to you.”
Identifying only as a concerned citizen and “curious reader,” the man insists he has no ties to any political organization, nonprofit, or corporate interest. “No organizations, no parties — just me and a few people who care,” he said.
He explained that the sculpture is “part protest, part performance art,” aimed at drawing attention to recent layoffs and budget reductions across the National Park Service.
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The protest sculpture is seen at Arches National Park in Utah, framed against the park’s iconic red sandstone formations. (Obtained by Fox News Digital)
“However you feel about the DOGE cuts, and we’re using that word tongue-in-cheek, the reality is that thousands of people who love these parks and work to protect them were let go or impacted. And nobody’s really talking about it anymore.”
The parks were a deliberate choice. “National parks are one of the few truly nonpartisan joys we have in this country,” he said. “Democrats, Republicans, independents — everyone loves the outdoors.”
He chose Mt. Rainier for this weekend’s installation, he said, because of the high-season congestion and overflowing parking lots.Â
“It’s incredibly packed. One lane in, one lane out. The parking lots are overflowing — you literally can’t park to see the most popular spots,” he said. “It just felt … poetic.”
Park visitors’ reactions were wide-ranging. Some posed for photos, others made rude gestures, and many simply stared.
“People crowded around it, took photos, laughed, flipped it off, gave it thumbs-up,” he said. “It ran the gamut — a good cross-section of America.”
An Elon Musk head is seen parked at Yosemite National Park in California, where tourists stopped for photos amid a crowded summer weekend. (Obtained by Fox News Digital)
The sculpture, built by a Michigan-based artist found online, was designed to look lifelike, and just exaggerated enough to be meme-ready.Â
“We looked for someone who could do something photo-realistic on a big scale but still work within a budget,” he said. “We really wanted the smirk. That very self-satisfied look.”
As for the sign, “MAKE AMERICA WAIT AGAIN” was no accident. The nod to a certain president’s famous slogan is deliberate, the backer admitted, but it isn’t meant to target any particular political side. “It’s meant to spark conversation,” he said.Â
“Everyone has an opinion about Elon Musk. But I wanted this to cut across political lines.”
When asked why he insists on remaining anonymous, the backer didn’t dodge the question. “There’s something fun about the mystery,” he said. “It’s not important who I am. It’s about what this statue represents.”
A view of the welcome sign in Yosemite National Park in California. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Images of the Musk bust have set Reddit ablaze. Comments from just one post from r/pics include:
- “Somehow it looks both better and worse then Elon”
- “Wonder who paid for it”
- “They captured his smugness perfectly”
The mystery creator acknowledges the risks of such a public display but believes the message matters.
“Major things happen in our country, real, damaging things, and we forget them because the news cycle spins so fast,” he said. “This is a loud, silly way to not forget.”
When asked what he’d say directly to Musk, he didn’t hesitate: “Stick to making cars, and stay out of screwing up the government.”
Mt. Rainier viewed from the Longmire Viewpoint on the Wonderland Trail in Mt. Rainier National Park. (Thomas O’Neill/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
The backer says the National Parks themselves are what unite Americans in divided times. “It is like common knowledge that becoming a park ranger is something you do for the love, not for the money,” he said. “So when they were fired or stretched thin, it hurt something we all share.”
When pressed about his own political leanings, he said only: “I’m definitely not a Republican, and I wouldn’t call myself a Democrat either. . . . I think there are aspects of both parties that, in my opinion, do certain things right and certain things wrong.”
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But why bring the project to Fox News Digital? “Because I think that you’re not the first audience people would think of to cover this. And I think that’s fantastic,” he said. “That makes me thrilled. Because we’re all Americans and we all have different views and different things we enjoy. Funny things and weird things and bizarre things and pretty things.”
As for what comes next, the head is going to more parks, but where and when remain a mystery. “I can’t tell you, but I’m happy to keep telling you in the right moment.”
