Trump Appoints Elon Musk To Lead Government Efficiency Department

Tom Jowitt,
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Slash-and-burn cuts for federal staff? Elon Musk and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy appointed to lead Doge

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Donald Trump has confirmed a much-touted move that will target the day-to-day operations of the US federal government.

The Guardian newspaper reported that Donald Trump said on Tuesday he has appointed Elon Musk and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy to head up Department of Government Efficiency (known as Doge – a name Musk has repeatedly pushed for).

Doge of course is a reference to a famous meme of the Shiba Inu dog, and the name of the cryptocurrency Dogecoin, which Musk has heavily promoted for years now.

Doge Department

Elon Musk is one of Trump’s biggest supporters, and Silicon UK has previously noted that Trump’s victory in the US Presidential election would likely entail a notable governmental role for Musk.

There is little doubt that Musk (the world’s richest man) was one of Donald Trump’s most important financial backers, reportedly donating more than $119m (£92m) to a Super PAC to re-elect him.

Musk also appeared at multiple campaign events with Trump.

Trump has previously indicated that he would invite Musk into his administration to eliminate government waste.

If Musk’s savage cost-cutting at X/Twitter (where he axed 80 percent of its workforce) is anything to go by, federal employees may be viewing the appointment of both Musk and Ramaswamy to the so called Doge Department with some degree of trepidation.

Outside department

But according to the Guardian newspaper, despite the name, the Doge department will not be a government agency.

Trump reportedly said in a statement that Musk and Ramaswamy will work from outside government to offer the White House “advice and guidance” and will partner with the Office of Management and Budget to “drive large scale structural reform, and create an entrepreneurial approach to government never seen before.”

Trump added that the move would shock government systems.

Trump reportedly said the duo “will pave the way for my administration to dismantle government bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure federal agencies”.

Trump said the agency will be conducting a “complete financial and performance audit of the entire federal government, and making recommendations for drastic reforms”.

Musk reaction

Musk has previously told reporters that the goal is to reduce government spending by $2 trillion.

Tweeting on X, Musk pledged to document all actions of the department online for “maximum transparency”.

“Anytime the public thinks we are cutting something important or not cutting something wasteful, just let us know!” he said, while also promise to keep “a leaderboard for most insanely dumb spending of your tax dollars”.

Musk also added that “the entertainment value will be epic.”

Ramaswamy also responded to the announcement of his appointment on X. “We will not go gently, @elonmusk”, he said, adding an American flag emoji.

Trump reportedly said their work would conclude by 4 July 2026, adding that a smaller and more efficient government would be a “gift” to the country on the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Musk’s inclination for savage cost cutting may be tempered by the fact that many federal employees are unionised, and trade unions are likely to resist any large scale job losses.

But it should be remembered that both Musk and Donald Trump have repeatedly clashed with certain federal agencies and employees, as well as federal judicial elements over the years.