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Elon Musk appeared alongside President Donald Trump in the Oval Office on Tuesday, breaking his silence for the first time since taking the lead on the administration’s aggressive cost-cutting initiative. As head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Musk defended his sweeping efforts to shrink the federal workforce, despite mounting legal challenges and concerns over transparency.
Musk, donning a black coat and a “Make America Great Again” hat, brought his young son “X” to the White House event. Standing beside Trump, he justified his role in the administration’s attempt to “rightsize” the federal government.
“If there’s not a good feedback loop from the people to the government, and if you have rule of the bureaucrat, or if the bureaucracy is in charge, then what meaning does democracy actually have?” Musk said.
The billionaire, who holds no elected office, has faced scrutiny over his lack of accountability. While the White House describes him as a “special government employee,” it remains unclear to whom he directly answers, aside from Trump.
Musk was pressed on his oversight and whether he was essentially policing himself. He responded by insisting DOGE’s actions are “maximally transparent,” though he offered few specifics.
“Well, all of our actions are fully public,” Musk claimed. “If you see anything you say like, ‘wait a second, that seems like a conflict,’ it’s not like people are going to be shy about saying that.”
Trump quickly interjected, asserting that his administration would prevent conflicts of interest. “If we thought there was a conflict, we would not let him do that segment or look in that area,” Trump said.
Earlier in the day, Trump signed an executive order instructing federal agencies to coordinate with DOGE to “shrink the size of the federal workforce and limit hiring to essential positions.” Musk argued that some federal employees had amassed significant wealth despite modest salaries, hinting at potential corruption.
“There needs to be a lot of people working for the federal government, but not as many as currently,” Musk said, without providing specific numbers. He also claimed, without evidence, that Social Security records contained individuals “150 years old” or with “no identifying information.”
Despite the administration’s push, a federal judge recently blocked DOGE from accessing Treasury Department materials, including sensitive Social Security and banking information. The move was met with frustration from Trump and key Republicans, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, who called on the courts to “step back” and allow DOGE to operate.
Trump voiced his own frustration, calling judicial interference an obstacle to eliminating wasteful government spending. “Now a judge who’s an activist judge wants to try and stop us from doing this. Why? And why would they want to do that? I campaigned on this,” he said.
At one point, Trump suggested that judicial oversight itself might need review. “Maybe we have to look at the judges, because that’s very serious. I think it’s a very serious violation,” he remarked, raising concerns among legal experts about potential challenges to judicial authority.
When asked whether he would comply with court rulings that block his policies, Trump responded, “Well, I always abide by the courts and then I’ll have to appeal it,” though he criticized the lengthy appeals process.
As the administration moves forward with its controversial restructuring of the federal workforce, legal battles and questions over transparency continue to mount, leaving the future of DOGE—and Musk’s role in it—under intense scrutiny.
