In a recent interview with Fox News, Donald Trump made a startling admission about his collaboration with Elon Musk. Trump revealed that he had initially searched for “somebody smarter” to lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), but ultimately “settled” on Musk.
During the interview, Trump candidly expressed his desire for someone with exceptional intelligence, stating, “He’s good… I wanted to find somebody smarter than him. I searched all over. I just couldn’t do it. I couldn’t find anyone smarter, right? So, we had to, for the country, settled on this guy”. He then acknowledged that Musk, though not his first choice, was still a valuable asset. Musk responded to Trump’s comments saying, “Well, thanks for having me. I’m just trying to be useful here.”
“I wanted to find someone smarter than Elon… I couldn’t find someone smarter than Elon” pic.twitter.com/fcDXrXSToC
— Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) February 19, 2025
The conversation took an interesting turn when Fox host Sean Hannity pointed out the significant disparity in wealth between Musk and Trump. Trump swiftly responded, saying, “That’s why I became president.” He then delved deeper into his decision to collaborate with Musk, highlighting the billionaire’s impressive business acumen. Trump praised Musk, saying, “He’s actually a very good businessman. What he does, with his 100 geniuses, is ensure that things get done.”
Despite Musk’s title as senior adviser to the president, a White House court filing clarified that he had no “formal authority” to make government decisions. Nevertheless, Trump emphasised Musk’s crucial role in executing executive orders. He explained, “You write an executive order and think it’s done. You send it out, but it doesn’t get implemented. What Elon does is take that and make sure it gets done.”
As the interview progressed, Hannity jokingly referred to Musk as Trump’s “tech support.” Trump quickly corrected him, saying, “He’s much more than that.”
The partnership between Trump and Musk has been a subject of interest, particularly given Musk’s role. The DOGE has been instrumental in Trump’s efforts to overhaul the government, which has included thousands of job cuts.
Trump has assured that Musk will not be involved in any DOGE decisions that may pose a conflict of interest saying, “If there’s a conflict, he won’t be involved. I mean, I wouldn’t want that, and he wouldn’t want it.”
