Elon Musk talks about 'DOGE is a way of life and will continue,' 'Progress has been made,' 'Trump invited me to stay the night,' and more
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Elon Musk, who was appointed head of the newly established Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) under the Donald Trump administration and has already begun dismantling several organizations in the name of efficiency, talked about his recent life in a group interview with 12 journalists.
Elon Musk opens up: Admits DOGE has fallen short of expectations
https://www.axios.com/2025/05/01/elon-musk-doge-interview
Musk says DOGE, 'a way of life,' will continue | Semafor
https://www.semafor.com/article/04/30/2025/musk-says-doge-a-way-of-life-will-continue
Elon Musk gives a glimpse inside White House as he steps back from DOGE
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/05/01/elon-musk-doge-trump-white-house/83374882007/
Musk is leading DOGE with the ambitious goal of 'reducing government spending by $2 trillion (about 290 trillion yen),' and has implemented large-scale staff cuts and effectively dismantled several organizations, including the Federal Aviation Administration and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau . As the aggressive dismantling continues and backlash grows, Musk has revealed that he will reduce his time working on DOGE.
Musk said he was in the White House frequently during the first 100 days of President Trump's presidency, sometimes spending seven days a week overseeing DOGE, but he plans to reduce the time he spends on DOGE-related work to one or two days a week and refocus on Tesla, the car manufacturer for which he is CEO.
'Now that I'm in a more regular rhythm, I'll have to spend a lot less time in the White House and I can get back to running the company, which needs me,' Musk said. Musk made similar comments during Tesla's earnings call, acknowledging that his involvement with DOGE has led to backlash against Tesla.
Elon Musk tells Tesla shareholders he's withdrawing from DOGE, boycotts and boycotts cause Tesla's net profit to fall 71% - GIGAZINE
The backlash has been strong, with boycotts and acts of vandalism targeting dealerships, and Musk said, 'It's never fun to be ruthlessly attacked, or to see your car on fire.'
The White House considers Musk a 'special government employee' and has given him the title of Senior Advisor to the President. The role allows Musk to work 130 days a year, but it is unclear whether he will retain his official title. When asked what would happen to DOGE if Musk steps down, Musk said, 'DOGE is a way of life, just like Buddhism. The Buddha is no longer alive, but the question of 'who will lead Buddhism?'' and pointed out that his departure does not mean the end of DOGE.
DOGE was originally scheduled to end on July 4, 2026, but Musk said he expects it to continue for as long as President Trump wants it to, until the end of his term.
When asked if DOGE was effective, Musk said, 'I think there's a 70-80% chance that it's working,' indicating that although it's not perfect, it was effective. The initial target of $2 trillion has been lowered to $1 trillion (about 145 trillion yen), but at the time of the interview, they have succeeded in reducing $160 billion (about 23.2 trillion yen), and there is a good chance that they will reach the target of $1 trillion in reductions by fiscal year 2026. In addition, a DOGE aide who was present in the interview with Musk said, 'We have reduced 20,000 employees, which is about 1% of the federal government workforce.'
Musk, who has been frequenting the White House as a government employee, also revealed that he has stayed in a bedroom at the White House 'more than once' at President Trump's invitation. According to Musk, when President Trump asked him 'Where are you staying?' Musk replied, 'I don't know. Maybe at a friend's house,' and President Trump invited him to stay there. One time, President Trump called him late at night and invited him to buy ice cream in the White House kitchen, so he ate caramel-flavored Häagen-Dazs.
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