Musk on DOGE: It’s What the People Want
WASHINGTON — Elon Musk made something of a surprise appearance in the Oval Office alongside President Donald Trump Tuesday afternoon, defending the work of the Department of Government Efficiency as his young son tugged at the hem of his long winter coat.
As has happened several times in the first weeks of his second term, Trump opened a previously “closed” event on his daily schedule and invited the White House pool reporters for a few minutes of quotes and color.
The event in question was the signing of an executive order related to DOGE, and once the reporters and cameras arrived, Trump, who was seated at the resolute desk, invited Musk to speak.
Asked to respond to detractors who’ve accused him of effectively engaging in a hostile takeover of the federal government, Musk insisted that nothing he is doing is “draconian”; his only goal, he said, is to make sure taxpayer dollars are “spent wisely.”
“It’s just common sense,” he said.
“The people voted for major government reform and that’s what the people are going to get,” Musk said a moment later. “That’s what democracy is all about.”
The controversial billionaire went on to concede that there are some good people in the federal bureaucracy, which he called the “unelected” fourth branch of government, but said they need to be accountable.
The problem, he said, is those controls have not been “present” until now.
In the weeks since Trump was inaugurated, Musk has helmed an aggressive effort to break up federal agencies that don’t adhere to or conflict with the administration’s philosophy.
Along the way, he oversaw the buyout of hundreds of thousands of federal workers, and muscled his way into the Treasury Department’s computer systems used to pay out trillions of dollars each year.
For his efforts, Musk is now the subject of numerous lawsuits and almost constant pushback from Democrats on Capitol Hill.
Asked if he believed there are any personal conflicts of interest to his work, Musk told the reporters in the room that he’s trying to be as transparent as possible.
“Transparency is what builds trust,” he said, assuring those present that they will be able to see if any move he makes benefits him personally.
In the meantime, the president appeared completely satisfied with how Musk has attempted to weed “corruption” out of the system, saying the amount of fraud and waste the DOGE team has already uncovered is “crazy.”
To that, Musk opined that some were clearly getting “wealthy at the taxpayer expense.”
Throughout his remarks, Musk’s son vied for his father’s attention.
“Gravitas can be difficult sometimes,” he said with a smile.
Dan can be reached at [email protected] and @DanMcCue
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