Elon Musk took center stage in the Oval Office Tuesday, joking that his scrutiny over federal spending is like a “daily proctology exam” while backing President Donald Trump’s plan to slash the federal workforce.
Musk and his son, X, were at the White House as Trump signed a DOGE-focused executive order aimed at dramatically reducing government staffing. The order, which wasn’t immediately released, would require agencies to hire “no more than one employee for every four that depart,” according to reports.
Musk Questions D.C. Bureaucrats’ Wealth
While Trump let Musk hold court, the billionaire wasted no time calling out high-earning government officials.
“We do find it sort of odd that there are quite a few people in the bureaucracy who have ostensibly a salary of a few hundred thousand dollars but somehow managed to accrue tens of millions in net worth while they are in that position,” Musk said, pointing to USAID as an example.
“Maybe they’re very good at investing, in which case we should take their investment advice,” he quipped.
Trump backed him up, telling reporters, “We don’t want an unsuccessful guy doing this.”
Musk Fires Back at Critics: ‘People Voted for This’
When pressed about critics of his cuts, Musk scoffed, sarcastically asking, “I have detractors? I don’t believe it.”
He then defended the aggressive shake-up of federal agencies, saying, “The public voted for President Trump. We won the House, we won the Senate. The people voted for major government reform. There should be no doubt about it.”
DOGE’s swift moves, including its crackdown on USAID, have sparked protests and backlash from Democrats in Congress. Concerns have also been raised about Musk’s access to the Treasury Department’s payment systems.
Musk Admits $50 Million Gaza Condoms Claim Was Wrong
Despite defending his agency’s rapid changes, Musk conceded that mistakes had been made—including the claim that USAID spent $50 million on condoms for Gaza.
“First of all, some of the things that I say will be incorrect and should be corrected,” Musk admitted. “I’m not sure we should be sending $50 million in condoms anywhere, frankly. But if it went to Mozambique instead of Gaza, that’s not as bad. But why are we doing that?”
Trump had earlier suggested Hamas was using the condoms to create bombs, referencing past incidents where the group had turned balloons and inflatables into weapons.
Moving Fast, Fixing Mistakes
Musk acknowledged the criticisms but stood by the broader mission of slashing federal spending.
“We are moving fast, so we all make mistakes, but we’ll also fix the mistakes very quickly,” Musk said.
With Trump fully backing his approach, Musk’s overhaul of the government isn’t slowing down anytime soon.
