❓WHAT HAPPENED: Dummies resembling President Donald J. Trump and former Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) frontman Elon Musk were beheaded during a rock music festival performance in Chicago, Illinois, over the weekend.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Heavy metal band Gwar performed the stunt.
📍WHEN & WHERE: The incident occurred on Saturday, during Riot Fest in Chicago.
🎯IMPACT: The event has reignited discussions about violent political rhetoric in public performances.
During Riot Fest in Chicago, Illinois, this past weekend, heavy metal band Gwar performed a gruesome beheading stunt involving effigies made to resemble President Donald J. Trump and former Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) frontman Elon Musk. One dummy was dressed in Musk’s signature DOGE shirt and jacket, and the onstage act included fake blood spraying into the audience.
In addition to the Musk dummy, a similar stunt involved a dummy of President Trump being disemboweled.
Saw a friend’s video from Riot Fest—GWAR mock-beheaded Elon Musk on stage. That’s not edgy, it’s grotesque and reckless and normalizes violence against a real person. This is not okay. Riot Fest and GWAR crossed a major line. #RiotFest #GWAR #ElonMusk @RiotFest @gwar @elonmusk @X pic.twitter.com/ngr0GRVbP9
— karen (@hottakekaren) September 20, 2025
The stunt is drawing criticism in light of growing concerns over political violence. On September 10, Turning Point USA (TPUSA) founder Charlie Kirk was assassinated, allegedly by 22-year-old leftist Tyler Robinson, while speaking at Utah Valley University. On Sunday, a day after Gwar’s gruesome mock execution of Musk and Trump, over 100,000 people gathered in Arizona to pay tribute to Kirk. The memorial event was attended by both President Trump and Musk, with the former speaking on his friendship with Kirk to close out the service.
Although Gwar has a history of similar theatrical performances, previously beheading a dummy of former President Joe Biden, violent political statements have come under increasing public and government scrutiny since Kirk’s assassination. Late last week, President Trump designated Antifa as a major terrorist organization. This move expands federal law enforcement capabilities to monitor and investigate Antifa members and groups across the country, as well as enhancing the charges that federal prosecutors can bring.
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