The president-elect of the United States, Donald Trump he did not hesitate to say from the first moment that his chosen one Elon Musk he was considering making major cuts to the federal government. Hearing this many civil servants felt threatened that they could lose their jobs. But now their fear becomes even greater since they become personal targets of the richest man in the world.

Last week, Musk reposted two posts on X that revealed the names and titles of people who held four climate-related government positions. He even described their positions as “fake jobs”. Each post has been viewed tens of millions of times as a result of which these persons have been targeted and dozens of negative comments have been posted under each post. One of the women targeted was deleted from social media.

The targeted employees hold positions in various federal agencies, including the Department of Energy, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Their positions are related to climate justice and the promotion of sustainable energy solutions.

Several federal employees told CNN they are afraid that their lives will be changed forever as Musk turns invisible bureaucrats into public targets. Others told CNN that the threat of being targeted by Musk could even put them out of business altogether.

“These tactics are designed to instill terror and fear among federal employees,” said Everett Kelly, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, which represents more than 800,000 of the 2.3 million federal employees. “The goal is to make them afraid to talk.”

But this is not a new tactic for Musk, as in the past he has often singled out people who he claims have made mistakes or stood in his way.

Former federal employees point out that the pressure caused by such publications could lead to resignations, thereby indirectly achieving the red tape reduction goals that Musk and Trump advisers advocate.

Musk’s behavior has raised serious concerns about how the targeting of government officials could evolve into a threat to democratic functioning. Some of the experts interviewed by CNN declined to comment publicly, fearing they might become targets themselves.