Mayor Wamp discusses county level DOGE, responds to pastor after controversial sermon

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF)-  Tuesday, we spoke with the pastor of Greater Second Missionary Baptist Church, Dr. Steve Caudle, whose sermon went viral after controversial comments regarding Elon Musk and DOGE.

Wednesday, we are learning more about why Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp wants him to resign from the Regional Planning Agency.

Mayor Wamp said, “It is the most extreme political commentary that anybody with any type of role has given that I can remember in this community.”

These were the comments by Pastor Steve Caudle after referencing Elon Musk’s DOGE program.

““No one likes violence, but sometimes violence is necessary. Elon Musk forces his way into the United States treasury and threatens to steal your personal information, and your Social Security check, there is the possibility of violence. Sometimes the Devil will act so ugly, that you have no other choice but to get violent and fight. Well someone will say, “Reverend, you know you shouldn’t be talking about violence, this isn’t the Christian thing to do.” Well I say, why not talk this way because Jesus did.”

Reverend Caudle said that his comments were meant as an allegory for spiritual warfare.

Mayor Wamp is not sold on that explanation.

He said, “Of course I called for resignation. Can you imagine being a person from Middle Valley or Ooletwah who approaches the Planning Commission… Do you think Reverend Caudle could be objective? I think he is the least objective member of our community at the moment.”

Dr. Caudle on Tuesday, he disputed the concerns over his objectivity.

“My objectivity is in question, which I find rather rich, because his objectivity is in question because he wants to establish his own DOGE as county mayor,” he said.

Mayor Wamp disclosed the committee was working during his initial response to Dr. Caudle’s comments on social media.

He says it is a six person committee, including the mayor, that is looking to give recommendations in the upcoming 2026 budget to save the county money.

He says so far, they’ve identified some smaller issues such as too many printers and cellphones on the county payroll.

Mayor Wamp explained, “This is cleaning up our own house, the last budget is one that I presented, but we’re acknowledging there are still efficiencies that are to be gained beyond our first couple of years.”

He said this was not the way he wanted to talk about these government efficiency efforts.

Mayor Wamp said, “His solution is political violence?… To say that we need more violence and that political violence is in any way justified, but justified in the name of Jesus, I object to that.”

He also said in his reading of the pastor’s transcript, the mayor felt the pastor was equating Elon Musk to the Devil.

He says that he would like an apology from the pastor, and says the lack of one is alarming.

Mayor Wamp said, “He is the most politically extreme, politically biased. He has no business serving in a public role, and I wouldn’t go to his church!”

He also added that the language was concerning due to ongoing violence in the neighborhood surrounding the church.

He citied a Chattanooga Police statistic that said that 524 assaults or aggravated assaults had taken place in the zip code surrounding Dr. Caudle’s church in the past year.

Mayor Wamp posted on his social media accounts earlier this afternoon he had received a threat on Instagram that referenced this ongoing controversy.

Dr. Caudle told us Tuesday he has no plans to resign.

Mayor Wamp says if he doesn’t, he’s looking into how he could be forcibly removed from the planning commission, but hopes it can be resolved in a different manner, and said he would open to meeting with the pastor.