Overview
- In a new podcast interview, Elon Musk said he would not take the DOGE role again and reflected that he should have focused on his companies.
- Musk cited backlash tied to his political role, noting protests and vandalism against Tesla vehicles during his tenure.
- The Department of Government Efficiency operated in the first months of President Trump’s second term before being dissolved.
- DOGE touted cutting waste and halting so‑called zombie payments, but a Politico analysis confirmed about $1.4 billion in contract cancellations versus its far larger claims.
- Musk said only a bit more than two to three percent of federal spending is realistically reducible, underscoring limits to rapid cost cutting as his relationship with Trump later frayed over a tax and spending bill.