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.”
 

Washington:

Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has sparked alarm by seeking access to a system with the US tax office that has detailed financial data about millions of Americans, US media reported.

Spearheaded by Musk, the world’s richest man, US President Donald Trump has embarked on a campaign to slash public spending deemed wasteful or contrary to his policies.

The Washington Post and others reported that the latest request is for DOGE officials to have broad access to Internal Revenue Service (IRS) systems, property and datasets.

This includes the Integrated Data Retrieval System (IDRS), access to which is usually extremely limited and which offers “instantaneous visual access to certain taxpayer accounts”, according to the IRS.

As of Sunday evening, the request had not been granted, the reports said.

But it has sparked alarm within the government and among privacy experts who say granting Musk access to private taxpayer data could be extraordinarily dangerous, according to ABC News.

“People who share their most sensitive information with the federal government do so under the understanding that not only will it be used legally, but also handled securely and in ways that minimize risks like identity theft and personal invasion, which this reporting brings into serious question,” Elizabeth Laird, a former state privacy officer now with the Center for Democracy and Technology, told ABC.

“Waste, fraud, and abuse have been deeply entrenched in our broken system for far too long,” White House spokesperson Harrison Fields said when asked about the employee’s potential access to the sensitive system, NBC News reported.

“It takes direct access to the system to identify and fix it.

“DOGE will continue to shine a light on the fraud they uncover as the American people deserve to know what their government has been spending their hard-earned tax dollars on,” Fields added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Washington DC:

In its bid to save US taxpayers’ money, the Donald Trump administration’s cost-cutting team–Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)– has cancelled a slew of overseas projects, including one in Bangladesh that raised several eyebrows. The billionaire Elon Musk-led department said it is cancelling $29 million funding intended for “strengthening the political landscape in Bangladesh”.

In a post on X listing a list of cancelled US funding abroad, DOGE said, “USD 29M to ‘strengthening the political landscape in Bangladesh” has been stopped.

US taxpayer dollars were going to be spent on the following items, all which have been cancelled:
– $10M for “Mozambique voluntary medical male circumcision”
– $9.7M for UC Berkeley to develop “a cohort of Cambodian youth with enterprise driven skills”
– $2.3M for “strengthening…

— Department of Government Efficiency (@DOGE) February 15, 2025

This comes days after American President Trump denied allegations of US involvement in the regime change in Bangladesh last year when former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted following a nationwide protest led by students.

About Strengthening Political Landscape Project in Bangladesh

Funded by the United States Agency For International Development (USAID) and the United Kingdon’s erstwhile Department for International Development, the strengthening Political Landscape in Bangladesh program (SPL) worked to build political party capacity and strengthen relationships between parties and constituents while reducing political violence, according to Democracy International (DI).

Per DI, the programme supported political activists and citizens as they built the skills they needed to become effective leaders, advocate for inclusive policies, and constructively engage with one another to mitigate conflict.

In addition, SPL confronted the challenges of political violence by engaging political parties, grassroots activists, and university students, monitoring incidents of violence, and promoting peaceful alternatives.

Trump On US Involvement In Bangadesh’s Regime Change

After a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday, US President Donald Trump dismissed any American involvement in the Bangladesh political crisis, stating that the issue has been handled by India for a long time.

When a reporter sought the views of President Trump on whether the previous Democratic government under former President Joe Biden carried out a regime change in Bangladesh, and installed Muhammad Yunus as a chief adviser, the Republican said, “There is no role for our deep state. This is something that the Prime Minister has been working on for a long time and has worked on for hundreds of years… I have been reading about it.”

Then pointing at PM Modi he added, “I will leave Bangladesh to the PM.”

While the Republican did not directly address the question, speculation is that the response indicated the new Trump administration may not get itself involved in Bangladesh, where alleged radical Islamist elements have been targeting religious minorities including Hindus.

India-Bangladesh Relations

Ties between India and Bangladesh have nosedived after Ms Hasina fled Dhaka in August in the face of a massive anti-government protest.

The interim government headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, who returned from the US to work as Bangladesh’s caretaker, continues to draw sharp criticism over not doing enough to stop attacks on minorities by radical Islamists.

Bangladesh-US Ties

Meanwhile, Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser, Professor Muhammad Yunus, on Friday said that he has discussed with Tesla CEO Elon Musk a potential collaboration to launch Starlink satellite internet service in Bangladesh.

Yunus on Thursday held an extensive video discussion with Musk to make further progress in introducing Starlink satellite to enhance internet service in Bangladesh.

Professor Yunus also extended an invitation to Musk to visit Bangladesh for the potential launch of Starlink services, underscoring the significance of this initiative for national development, to which Musk responded positively. 

“I look forward to it,” Musk said.

Other Biden-Era Funding Slashed By DOGE

In a post on X, the official DOGE handle listed the number of spending by US taxpayers that has been cancelled, including $22 million in funding intended for ‘voter turnout in India’ and $ 39 million for “fiscal federalism” and “biodiversity conservation” in Nepal.

This is part of DOGE’s continued effort to outline significant changes in government spending over the last few weeks.

About Nepal’s  “Fiscal Federalism” Programme

With the promulgation of the 2015 constitution, Nepal embarked on its federalism journey and established three tiers of government– one federal, seven provinces, and 753 local levels in 2017. 

The fiscal federalism programme is based on the canon that “single penny expense is not levied without the consent of parliament”

To adhere to this norm, Nepal’s Constitution has clear provisions with regard to the financial procedures of the federal, provincial and local governments, according to a report by International Alert.

About DOGE

The effort by what the Donald Trump administration calls DOGE is intended to cut government costs drastically. Musk’s department has swept through federal agencies in recent weeks searching for spending cuts as part of Trump’s goal to overhaul and shrink the US government.

Washington:

Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and X, has taken his dedication to work to new heights by reportedly living at the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) headquarters in Washington D.C., per reports by WIRED. This move is part of his efforts to exert greater control over the federal government, and it’s not the first time Musk has made headlines for his extreme work ethic.

Musk has been staying at DOGE’s offices in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, just a stone’s throw away from the White House. He even claimed that he was invited to spend the night in the White House’s Lincoln Bedroom, but chose to stay at the DOGE headquarters instead. This decision was reportedly made to avoid a more formal relationship with President Donald Trump’s team, after Chief of Staff Susie Wiles denied him office space in the West Wing, according to Daily Mail.

Musk’s commitment to “hardcore” work habits is nothing new. In the early days of Tesla, he famously slept on the factory floor during busy periods, claiming it allowed employees to see their leader’s dedication firsthand. He reiterated this sentiment in a 2022 interview with Ron Baron, saying, “This is important because if the team thinks their leader is off somewhere having a good time, drinking Mai Tais on a tropical island… they knew I was there, and that made a huge difference”.

This work culture is now being implemented at DOGE, which Musk leads to reduce government spending and streamline operations. The department has already made significant cuts, saving taxpayers around $1 billion per day by halting unnecessary hiring and cutting spending on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Musk’s team has also begun eliminating websites and programs related to DEI, with the US Office of Personnel Management’s Chief Diversity Officers Executive Council website being taken down.

The Department of Government Efficiency, under Musk’s guidance, is prioritising cost-cutting measures, with a notable focus on the production of pennies. A striking statistic reveals that the expense of manufacturing pennies now surpasses their face value, resulting in an estimated $179 million loss to taxpayers in 2023. In response, DOGE is exploring alternatives to reduce or potentially discontinue penny production, a move that could yield substantial savings for taxpayers.

It’s worth noting that Musk’s leadership style has raised concerns about toxic workplace culture. In 2018, he claimed that he was “sleeping on the factory floor” of Tesla because he didn’t have “time to go home and shower”. He has also directed workers to do the same, with some employees reportedly sleeping on the manufacturing line to ensure new EV model rollouts.

World’s richest man, Elon Musk, is overseeing a new Department of Government Efficiency under Trump administration.
| Photo Credit: REUTERS

U.S. President Donald Trump’s brash populism has always involved incongruence: the billionaire businessman-politician stirring the passions of millions who, regardless of the U.S. economy’s trajectory, could never afford to live in his Manhattan skyscraper or visit his club in south Florida.

His second White House is looking a lot like the inside of Mar-a-Lago, with extremely wealthy Americans taking key roles in his administration.

The world’s richest man, Elon Musk, is overseeing a new Department of Government Efficiency, which is a special commission charged with slashing federal spending. The extensive ties his businesses have to the government have raised questions about Mr. Musk’s potential conflicts in the role.

Meanwhile, billionaires or mega-millionaires are lined up to run key posts in the administration.

People are raising concerns about conflicts of interest at odds with Mr. Trump’s pledge to fight for “forgotten men and women” in a country where the median household net worth is about $1,93,000 and median annual household income is about $81,000.

“It’s hard to conceive how the wealthiest set of Cabinet nominees and White House appointments in history will understand what average working people are going through,” said former Labour Secretary Robert Reich, who served under President Bill Clinton and has warned for decades about the nation’s widening wealth and wage gaps.

File picture of Elon Musk with Donald Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania
| Photo Credit: Reuters

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said on Tuesday (November 12, 2024) Elon Musk and former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy will lead the newly created Department of Government Efficiency.

Mr. Musk and Mr. Ramaswamy “will pave the way for my Administration to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies,” Mr. Trump said in a statement.

Mr. Trump said their work would conclude by July 4, 2026, adding that a smaller and more efficient government would be a “gift” to the country on the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

The appointments reward two Trump supporters from the private sector.

Mr. Musk leads electric car company Tesla, social media platform X and rocket company SpaceX, while Mr. Ramaswamy is the founder of a pharmaceutical company who ran for the Republican presidential nomination against Mr. Trump and then threw his support behind the former president after dropping out.

Mr. Musk gave millions of dollars to support Mr. Trump’s presidential campaign and publicly appeared with him. Mr. Trump had said he would offer Mr. Musk, the world’s richest person, a role in his administration promoting government efficiency.

The acronym of the new department — DOGE — coincides with the name of the cryptocurrency Dogecoin that Musk promotes.

“This will send shockwaves through the system, and anyone involved in government waste, which is a lot of people!” Mr. Musk said, according to Mr. Trump’s statement, which called the new government initiative “potentially ‘The Manhattan Project’ of our time,” referring to the U.S. plan to build the atomic bomb that helped end World War Two.