President Trump insists he trusts Elon Musk to overhaul the federal government and expressed awe at the tech titan’s work ethic while reaffirming his next targets — the Education Department and Pentagon.
“I ran on this,” Trump, 78, told Fox News’ Bret Baier in a preview clip of his Super Bowl interview, referring to his administration’s efforts to root out government waste. “I’ve had a great help with Elon Musk, who’s been terrific.”
Baier pressed the president about whether he trusts Musk, 53, who skeptics have predicted will spectacularly collide with Trump in a clash of egos.
“Trust Elon? Oh, he’s not gaining anything,” Trump replied of his fellow billionaire’s cost-cutting work. “In fact, how he can devote the time to it? He’s so into it.”
Trump has tapped Musk to helm the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which is a temporary government entity. Through DOGE, Musk has deployed a slew of tech whizzes and other talent to essentially audit the federal apparatus.
In recent weeks, Musk’s DOGE has targeted government agencies such as the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and a smattering of government contracts, to much fanfare from conservatives.
The president reaffirmed that he has two big assignments for Musk to take on next.
“I’m going to tell him very soon, like maybe in 24 hours, to go check the Department of Education; he’s going to find the same thing,” Trump said, referring to financial waste. “Then I’m going [to tell him] go to the military — let’s check the military. We’re going to find billions, hundreds of billions, of dollars of waste, fraud and abuse.
“People elected me on that,” the president said, referring to the cost-cutting moves.
Trump previously told reporters Friday that he instructed Musk to look at the Pentagon and the Department of Education.
Musk has maintained that he’s been following guidance from Trump, including the president’s executive orders, which have targeted programs such as diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives as well as foreign aid.
“Greatest President ever!” Musk beamed on X last week about Trump.
But the endeavor to probe trillions of dollars worth of federal spending has been met with fierce pushback from Democrats and other critics, some of whom appear keen on trying to pit Trump and Musk against each other.
Time Magazine recently published a cover featuring Musk sitting behind the president’s White House desk.
“Is Time Magazine still in business?” Trump retorted to reporters last week when asked about the cover. “I didn’t even know that.”
Some of Musk’s efforts have faced setbacks in the courts. On Saturday, for example, a New York-based judge temporarily blocked DOGE’s access to the Treasury Department’s payment systems that manage trillions of dollars worth of federal outlays.
On Friday, a Washington, DC, judge also halted plans to place 2,200 employees at USAID on administrative leave.
And more related legal challenges are expected on the horizon.
But National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, speaking about the USAID, told NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday, “The dollars aren’t being used wisely.
“We need to take a hard look at it. We need to move quickly. And that’s exactly what’s being done,” he said.
“We need to realign their mission and line it up with the president’s foreign policy vision.”
