Trump says Elon Musk will lead ‘DOGE’ office to cut ‘wasteful’ government spending
Former President Donald Trump said that he would create a new government office to cut wasteful spending if he were elected president again in 2024 and that he would have Elon Musk lead it.
Trump has repeatedly criticized the government for misspending taxpayer money, and he has pledged to reduce the size and scope of the federal government if he is re-elected.
In a speech in Iowa on Saturday, Trump said that he would create a new office called the “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) to identify and eliminate wasteful spending. He said that he would appoint Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, to lead the office.
“We are going to have Elon Musk come in and lead the Department of Government Efficiency,” Trump said. “He’s a great businessman, and he knows how to get things done.”
Musk has not publicly commented on Trump’s proposal, but he has previously expressed support for cutting government spending. In a tweet in 2020, Musk said that the government should “cut spending immediately” and that “there is no excuse for waste.”
It is unclear how much support there is for Trump’s proposal. Some Republicans have expressed support for the idea of creating a new office to cut government spending, but others have raised concerns about giving Musk too much power.
Democrats have generally been critical of Trump’s proposal, arguing that it would lead to cuts to important government programs. They have also raised concerns about Musk’s qualifications to lead such an office.