- Elon Musk stated he got "carried away" and a "little too involved in politics" during his time leading the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.
- He made these comments during a discussion with The Economist’s "Insider" hosted by Zanny Minton Beddoes.
- Musk refused to agree that the work of DOGE had any negative consequences, despite its initial promise to eliminate wasteful spending and fraud.
- DOGE was created in the early months of Trump’s second term, with Musk claiming it would save from the national deficit within one year.
- As DOGE's first anniversary approached, its calculations showed savings of $214 billion, which was less than a quarter of its most conservative promises.
- Much of the savings came from cuts to the United States Agency for International Development, or USAID, which provides assistance to developing countries.
- Musk denied that these cuts led to "unnecessary suffering" and called reports of child deaths due to dismantled programs funded by USAID "nonsense".
- When pressed about the impact of cuts on children in Africa, Musk responded with a firm "Zero" deaths attributed to DOGE's actions.
- Beddoes highlighted the shutdown of health-related programs in Africa, but Musk dismissed these claims as "false" and "nonsense".
- A statistical tracker documented that within the first year of cuts to USAID programs, over 518,000 children were affected.
- Musk maintained that the organizations affected by funding cuts were operating fraudulently and reiterated that "zero people died because of DOGE."
- When asked about his support for the administration, Musk stated he would not agree with everything but found Trump’s team to be doing "excellent" overall.
- Musk acknowledged that "No administration is perfect," but he believes it is "vastly better than the alternative."
Elon Musk reflected on his tenure leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), admitting he got “carried away” in politics. He defended DOGE's mission to eliminate wasteful spending, asserting that “zero people died because of DOGE”, despite criticism regarding funding cuts to vital programs.1345891214
Musk stated, “I think I got a little too involved in politics,” and maintained that the organizations affected by funding cuts were operating fraudulently. He dismissed claims of negative consequences, labeling reports of child deaths due to program cuts as “nonsense”.10
Despite DOGE's reported savings of $214 billion, critics argue that cuts to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) have had dire effects, including impacting over 518,000 children in Africa. Musk countered these claims, insisting that the reports were “false” and “nonsense”.6711
When asked about his support for the current administration, Musk acknowledged that “no administration is perfect”, but he believes that “on balance”, the Trump administration is doing “excellent”. DOGE was established during Trump’s second term, with promises to significantly reduce the national deficit within a year.13
“Musk denied that USAID cuts led to ‘unnecessary suffering,’ calling reports of child deaths ‘nonsense.’ DOGE's own calculations show $214 billion in savings, less than a quarter of initial targets, while an independent tracker documented over 518,000 children affected by the cuts.”
