President-elect Donald Trump has appointed Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, to lead the newly established Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in a bid to reshape the U.S. federal government. Musk, who also owns the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), was a prominent supporter of Trump throughout the election season, leading up to Trump’s November 5 victory.
Trump’s win over Vice President Kamala Harris was secured by more than the 270 electoral college votes needed for the presidency. Following this decisive victory, Trump outlined his administration’s commitment to reducing government waste and bureaucracy in a statement issued Tuesday.
Musk will be joined by Vivek Ramaswamy, a prominent entrepreneur and politician, as they jointly lead DOGE. According to Trump, their role will be to “pave the way for my Administration to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies Essential to the ‘Save America’ Movement.”
The president-elect expressed optimism about the appointments, stating, “I look forward to Elon and Vivek making changes to the Federal Bureaucracy with an eye on efficiency and, at the same time, making life better for all Americans.” He emphasized the administration’s goal to curb “massive waste and fraud” in federal spending, which currently stands at $6.5 trillion annually.
Trump will assume office for his second and final term on January 25, 2025.
