Musk says DOGE is ‘what democracy is all about’ during Oval Office visit

Elon Musk on Tuesday defended his “Department of Government Efficiency” against critics, saying the unaccountable cost-slashing task force represents the will of American voters who elected President Donald Trump.

“That’s what democracy is all about,” said Musk, who contributed more than $250 million to getting Trump elected.

Musk, with one of his young sons in tow, stood alongside Trump in the Oval Office during the press event, which was billed as an executive order signing ceremony.

That order, which was ultimately signed out of view, directs the heads of federal agencies to work with DOGE to shrink the federal workforce and limit hiring to essential roles, a White House fact sheet said.

The order also states that, once Trump’s Day One hiring freeze expires, U.S. agencies will only be allowed to hire one employee for every four that depart from the federal service, according to the fact sheet.

Musk — the world’s richest man and the leader of Tesla, SpaceX and X — also pushed back on concerns about whether his work in government creates conflicts of interest, saying he is trying to be as transparent as possible.

“Transparency is what builds trust, not simply somebody asserting trust,” Musk said.

Musk is serving under Trump as a “special government employee,” a designation that does not require him to make his financial disclosure visible to the public, according to multiple news outlets.

DOGE, which aims to cut spending by snuffing out purported waste and bureaucracy, has swept through the government and forced the shutdown of numerous federal contracts and agencies.

The slash-and-burn tactics being carried out behind closed doors by a controversial group of staffers have stoked outrage and panic from critics and spurred multiple lawsuits.

Trump said in the Oval Office that if he needs Congress to vote to approve his administration’s efforts to reshape the government, that would be fine with him.

But he questioned the judges who have issued rulings that effectively paused those efforts, claiming it “gives crooked people more time to cover up the books.”

Asked if he will abide by the court’s rulings if a judge blocks one of his policies, Trump said, “I always abide by the courts, and then I’ll have to appeal it.”