SAN FRANCISCO – Tesla CEO Elon Musk, once a key architect of President Donald Trump’s aggressive cost-cutting agenda, delivered a sobering assessment of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) on Tuesday, calling it only “a little bit successful” and vowing he wouldn’t lead such an effort again.
In a candid interview on “The Katie Miller Podcast” – hosted by the former Trump administration official who briefly served as a DOGE advisor – Musk reflected on his five-month tenure leading the initiative. Launched in early 2025 as part of Trump’s second-term promise to slash federal bureaucracy, DOGE aimed to trim billions from the budget, reduce the workforce, and dismantle “wasteful” regulations through AI-driven reforms.
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“We were somewhat successful. We stopped a lot of funding that really just made no sense, that was entirely wasteful,” Musk said, crediting the team with halting dubious expenditures. However, he lamented the personal and professional toll, including widespread vandalism of Tesla vehicles and a public rift with Trump over a controversial tax and spending bill that prompted Musk’s abrupt resignation in May.
“I think instead of doing DOGE, I would have basically worked on my companies. And they wouldn’t have been burning the cars,” Musk quipped, alluding to the backlash that saw Tesla showrooms targeted and sales dip amid investor worries over his divided attention.
Musk’s involvement stemmed from his massive financial backing of Trump’s 2024 campaign, where he emerged as a close confidant. Yet, the DOGE experiment – quietly shuttered last month, eight months shy of its 18-month charter – drew scrutiny for opaque accounting and unverified savings claims.
The remarks, aired just days after a U.S. Government Accountability Office report exposed fraud in Obamacare applications – a issue Musk tied to DOGE’s mission – underscore the billionaire’s pivot back to SpaceX and Tesla amid ongoing political turbulence. As Trump eyes midterm adjustments, Musk’s exit signals fractures in their once-unshakable alliance.