Sitting at the head of a large conference table in the Roosevelt room in Westwing's Roosevelt room on Wednesday afternoon, Elon Musk, wearing his signature T-shirt and blazer, shunned the question of whether government efficiency would meet its pledge to cut $1 trillion from the federal budget.
“I think it's possible to do that, but it's a long way to go and you know, it's really difficult,” he said of the trillion dollar goal. “That's because all you know is the cabinet and can Congress be willing to take it? Because that's possible, but there are a lot of complaints to deal with.”
His ncags contrasted with the confidence that pounded his chest just a few months ago about what he was going to achieve in government. Standing at the Trump Rally at Madison Square Garden in October, Musk told the roaming crowd that federal spending could cut “at least two trillion yen.” He later halved the number.
Musk, who has not worked for the government at the moment, is forced to further correct his expectations, but he claims that it remains technically possible. His 101 days in the government have been a storm, and this week's series of interviews appears to be an effort to steal back control of his message, including Wednesday's sessions with reporters from major newspapers and television networks.
He clashed with the Cabinet Secretary and filed complaints from lawmakers whose members' services and employment were threatened due to cuts from his government efficiency. He has discussed tariffs with the president and faces protests from federal employees, including his decision to dismantle the entire institution, including the US International Development Agency and the Consumer Financial Protection Agency.
He also encountered mathematics problems that were warned by budget experts of both parties. There is no way to cut $1 trillion without addressing the most politically sensitive parts of the budget, social safety net programs, and military spending.
The billionaire says he is proud of the cuts that Doge made. He says he will return to spending most of his time working for his company, including Tesla, X and SpaceX, but he is hoping to spend about two days a week to government work and visit Washington every other week.
Although Doge originally intended to be active only until July 4, 2026, Musk said he could imagine the efforts to make to the Trump administration throughout the four years. He said it will be President Trump who will decide when he wants him to continue working on the initiative. Musk is permitted to serve as a “special government employee” for just 130 days, but reducing the time to part-time will allow him to extend his hours for the Trump administration to months.
Musk insisted that Doge would work out in his absence. However, he is evasive, relying on jokes and being asked who would fill his place.
“Doji is a way of life. Like Buddhism,” Musk said.
Pushing again, he said, “Is Buddha necessary for Buddhism?”
Musk spoke, and he gave him a doge. He compares it to a “startup” and is a concentrated burst of his attention needed to get it off the ground. Musk claims he's saved $160 billion so far to taxpayers.
However, Doge's online “receipt wall” does not account for 64% of that total. The group saved only $58 billion in savings by linking to certain cancelled contracts, grants and leases. The other $100 billion has not been explained. And even the $58 billion savings itemized by Doge has swelled significantly by including complete errors and speculations about the future.
Musk said it is still “absolutely” possible to find $1 trillion in savings to tackle the issue of national debt, but he said he “will not see if there was enough political will to actually do that in Congress or elsewhere.
“And we may not succeed,” he said.
Trump has made it clear to Musk that some of the most significant portion of the federal government is off limits for serious reform. The president has ruled out changes to Social Security and Medicare, which account for more than a third of federal spending. And Defense Secretary Pete Hegses said he hopes to increase the Pentagon budget to $1 trillion.
At the White House on Wednesday, Musk reiterated that there were billions to be saved from reducing waste, and that his team found clear evidence of fraud.
Looking back at his time in Washington, Musk shared an extraordinary amount of details about Trump and his life.
“I think we're good friends. I think we're in one of the Air Force or the Marines, and I'm like, 'certain',” Musk said.
Musk has had to spend several nights in his Lincoln bedroom.
On one of these sleepovers, Trump said he called him late at night and told him to get some ice cream from the kitchen. The billionaire said he helped himself through the entire container of Caramel Hagen Daz.
“I was like this,” he said.
David A. Farent Hold Reports of contributions.
May 1, 2025
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An earlier version of this article, in one example, misinterpreted the savings that Doge itemized. It's $58 billion, not $58 million.
