Trump-Musk first joint press meet: Top 5 things they said
Both men sing each other’s praises, dismiss concerns over Musk's interference in US administration; Tesla chief painted more like an enforcer-in chief
As US President Donald Trump completes one month in office, his first joint interview with billionaire Elon Musk was aired on Fox News on Tuesday night. Both men spent a lot of time singing each other’s praises and dismissing concerns over Musk's role in the US administration
Here are five top highlights of the press meet:
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Musk as enforcer-in-chief
Trump praised Musk for ensuring executive orders were being effectively carried out pointing out that in the past administrations he had signed orders which were often not implemented. He made Musk out to be an enforcer-in-chief.
Musk said that one of the biggest functions of the DOGE team is to ensure presidential executive orders are actually carried out. Meanwhile, Trump insisted his policies, which included a complete onslaught on federal institutions, should be implemented without delay and said Musk was instrumental in pushing them forward.
US DOGE services- enforcement mechanism
Trump also claimed that the newly-launched US DOGE service is significantly reducing government waste and potentially saving ‘hundreds of billions’ of dollars.
It is working to trim $1 trillion from the national deficit, said Trump, expressing confidence in identifying and eliminating wasteful expenditures to achieve this goal.
He called Musk and the DOGE team as an "enforcement mechanism" within the federal bureaucracy to enact his administration’s agenda without anyone standing in their way, or else they risked losing their jobs.
No preferential treatment
Musk described himself as a “technologist” since his primary function is to assist the President with technological matters. He even wore a t-shirt, which said tech-support.
Responding to concerns about his growing influence, Musk pointed out that unelected government officials wield far more power than his advisory role. He did not seek personal benefits from Trump and will recuse himself from any policy decisions involving his businesses. Trump echoed him and emphasised that Musk’s companies, despite holding government contracts, will not receive preferential treatment.
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Dissolving education department
Pointing out that social security will remain untouched, Trump shared that he planned to dissolve the department of education. In his view, decentralising education by giving states more control will lead to better decision-making and increased efficiency.
$10 million settlement
When Trump and Musk were questioned about the recent $10 million settlement between Musk’s platform, X, and the US President, both men made light of it.
Trump termed the $10 million Musk's social media site paid to him to settle a lawsuit the president brought against them as "a big discount". Speaking to Fox News host Sean Hannity in a pre-taped interview, Trump said he had hoped for a larger payout.
"It's very low. I was looking to get much more money than that," said Trump. Musk seated next to him looked suitably bewildered and said he had left the entire matter to legal experts.