In a post on his social media platform X, Elon Musk announced that he would step up to the task if asked to serve at the White House as a government efficiency regulator under the Trump administration.
“I am willing to serve,” wrote the Tesla and Space X CEO, sharing an AI-generated image of himself standing behind a lectern labeled “Department of Government Efficiency,” with American flags in the background.
Above the lectern, the fictional department’s acronym D.O.G.E., an apparent reference to Dogecoin, the joke cryptocurrency that Musk eagerly promoted in 2021.
In an Aug. 19 interview with Reuters, Trump said he was open to appointing Musk to a cabinet or advisory role.
“I would. He’s very smart,” the presidential candidate said. “I had a great talk with him the other day, as you know, it went on for two and a half hours almost and perhaps you listened, but he’s a very smart guy.”
“I certainly would—if he would do it—I certainly would. He’s a brilliant guy,” Trump added.
Musk publicly endorsed Trump on July 14, the day after the failed assassination attempt on the presidential candidate’s life during a Pennsylvania campaign rally.
Public Proposal
On Aug. 12, the X owner invited Trump for a conversation—not an interview—on his social media platform. The two talked about a variety of issues, including government overspending.
“Inflation is caused by government overspending,” Musk said at one point. Trump agreed that “the waste is incredible” and recounted how he reduced the $5.7 billion price tag of Air Force One by $1.6 billion dollars during his tenure as President.
“I think it would be great to just have a government efficiency commission that takes a look at these things, and just ensures that the taxpayer money, the taxpayers’ hard-earned money, is spent in a good way,” Musk responded, immediately adding that he would be “happy to help out on such a commission.”
“I’d love it,” Trump responded, as he proceeded to praise Argentinian President Javier Milei, who managed to revert the country’s inflation rate after implementing cuts in government programs and departments.
“With bad government policy, we can run the country into the ground,” Musk said. “That’s just something people should bear in mind—don’t take prosperity for granted.”
During the talk, Musk also discussed regulation and how it impeded projects that “make the future feel like it’s better than the past.” He specifically mentioned the building of a moon base, sending astronauts to Mars, and high-speed railroads connecting American cities.
“There has to be an active process for reducing rules and regulations,” Musk said. “They just keep building up every year, and you get like a hardening of the arteries, and eventually everything is illegal, or takes forever, and then we just ossify as a society; we can’t make any progress. It’s a really big deal.”
The following day, Musk commented on the interview: “A tremendous amount of growth and opportunity would be created by deregulation and reduction of wasteful government spending.”
Though it was the first time the government efficiency commission was discussed publicly, it wasn’t the first time Trump and Musk contemplated the idea.
During an interview on Lex Fridman’s podcast, released on Aug. 2, Musk said he’d already talked with Trump about a government efficiency commission.