Trump suggests Musk needs to be 'more aggressive'

(The Hill) -- President Trump suggested successful a caller station that tech billionaire Elon Musk, 1 of his closest allies, needs to beryllium “more aggressive" — presumably referring to his efforts to slash spending, downsize the national workforce and eviscerate fraud via the newly-formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

“ELON IS DOING A GREAT JOB, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE HIM GET MORE AGGRESSIVE,” Trump wrote Saturday successful a station connected Truth Social. “REMEMBER, WE HAVE A COUNTRY TO SAVE, BUT ULTIMATELY, TO MAKE GREATER THAN EVER BEFORE. MAGA!” 

Musk, who leads six large companies, and DOGE staffers person gone aft respective national agencies implicit the past period looking to overhaul the national workforce — including initiatives that would nearly dismantle the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Education Department. The committee said earlier this week that it saved the authorities $55 cardinal by canceling grants, selling assets, reducing teams and by axing contracts and leases. 

The Trump medication has offered buyouts to galore civilian work workers. So far, much than 75,000 authorities employees person accepted the offer.

DOGE has been nether occurrence from Democrats and assorted organizations for the actions it's taken during the president's first period backmost successful office. Critics person urged the advisory committee to shed much transparency into their conduct.

The radical has faced lawsuits, with 14 states saying the board’s cuts are unconstitutional, and others questioning the commission's access to outgo systems astatine the Treasury Department, which has since been blocked.

Musk's power implicit the medication has besides been under the microscope, with galore citing his imaginable conflicts of interest.

Trump has consistently defended Musk, whom helium recently called a “patriot.” 

“I’m conscionable proceeding astir it and if determination is … evidently I volition not fto determination beryllium immoderate struggle of interest. He’s done an astonishing job,” helium said earlier this week. “I told Elon, immoderate conflicts you can’t person thing to bash with that. So, thing to bash with perchance adjacent space, we won’t fto Elon partake successful that.”

The president and White House person besides suggested Musk is not really portion of DOGE. Instead, helium is considered a elder advisor to Trump and a “White House Office” employee, a tribunal filing from the White House Office of Administration shows.

The Tesla and SpaceX CEO has “has nary existent oregon ceremonial authorization to marque authorities decisions himself," Joshua Fisher, the manager of the office, wrote.

Musk defended DOGE’s enactment during a briefing alongside Trump earlier this month, emphasizing that voters “voted for large authorities betterment and that’s what the radical are going to get.” 

Trump lauded the tech entrepreneur successful aboriginal February for doing a “very bully job” and predicted that DOGE’s aides would observe much fraud and discarded wrong the government. 

“He’s got a unit that’s fantastic, he’s wanted to beryllium capable to bash this for a agelong time,” the president said. “I deliberation we’re going to beryllium precise adjacent to balancing budgets for the archetypal clip for galore years.”