Musk Drops Bombshell:7 Shocking Truths About Trump’s Doge Plan
Elon Musk reveals explosive insights on Trump’s Doge reforms, why he quit, and how the government efficiency plan made limited success despite controversy.
Elon Musk says he wouldn't lead the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) if given the chance again, but he has said his efforts to reduce the size of the US government under President Donald Trump have been "somewhat successful."
The billionaire boss of Tesla and SpaceX offered his views in a nearly hour-long interview on The Katie Miller Podcast on Tuesday.
Musk left Doge in May, initially promising to save up to $2tn (£1.5tn) annually through federal job cuts and government program closures, among other spending cuts.
Doge's website, last updated on October 4, claims that approximately $214bn has been saved so far this year.
Conservative podcast host Miller, herself a former White House adviser and a spokesperson for Doge, asked Musk if he would resume his work for the organization if he could go back to the beginning of the year.
Musk replied, "I mean, no, I don't think so."
Instead, he said he would "actually be working at my companies," and explained that "they wouldn't be burning cars."
His comments refer to the numerous vandalism attacks on Tesla showrooms and vehicles earlier this year, which occurred in response to the world's richest man's apparent political role in the Trump administration.
Musk's involvement in US politics sparked protests and boycotts against Tesla worldwide, and a surge in vandalism of Tesla's Cybertruck vehicles. In April, the firm said sales had fallen to their lowest level in three years and warned investors that "changing political sentiment" could continue to hurt demand.
But Musk said he believed Doge had been "a little successful, we've been somewhat successful."
He explained, "You really want the government to do as little as possible," and said that Doge had "withheld a lot of funding that didn't make sense."
Musk told Miller that Doge, which was created by an executive order on the first day Trump returned to the White House, was a "made-up" name based on "internet suggestions."
The advisory group, which is not an official government department, quickly acted on Musk's vision. It called for massive cuts to the federal workforce, as well as the closure of programs and even agencies like the US Agency for International Development (USAID).
Some of Doge's moves faced legal battles or were overturned. When the group's cost-cutting measures led to the firing of bird flu officials at the US Department of Agriculture, the Trump administration considered rehiring them days later.
Musk's time as head of Doge not only caused problems for his business empire but also led to a major rift with the president himself.
Musk donated millions of dollars to the Trump campaign during the election and spent months at the White House, speaking at cabinet meetings and standing behind the president at events in the Oval Office.
But this relationship completely broke down in June when Musk, contradicting the White House, criticized a Trump-supported spending bill.
This sparked a war of words on social media, with Trump at one point threatening to order Doge to investigate Musk's business dealings with the US government.
Now, their relationship appears to be improving. Musk was seen at a White House dinner with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in November.
And Musk spoke highly of Trump in his interview with Miller, saying the president is the funniest person he knows and has a "great sense of humor''
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