Topline
Elon Musk—a key adviser to President Donald Trump who left his formal role in the government Friday—said in an interview with CBS News earlier in the week he thought criticism of his Department of Government Efficiency was “unfair” and said he doesn’t want to “take responsibility for everything this administration’s doing.”
President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference with Elon Musk on May 30, 2025 inside the … More
Key Facts
During an interview with CBS News, Musk initially shied away from questions about the impact of Trump’s tariffs on his businesses before openly discussing DOGE and what he said were “unfair” criticisms.
“If there was some cut, real or imagined, everyone would blame DOGE,” Musk told CBS News’ David Pogue.
He went on to discuss the administration more broadly, saying, “it’s not like I agree with everything the administration does … So it’s like, I mean, I agree with much of what the administration does. But we have differences of opinion.”
Musk said he doesn’t want to “take responsibility for everything this administration’s doing,” but if he brought up his disagreements publicly it “creates a bone of contention,” saying, “I’m a little stuck in a bind.”
News Peg
On Tuesday, CBS News released a clip of the interview in which Musk criticized the “big, beautiful bill” Trump has been advocating for in Congress. The clip showed Musk saying he was “disappointed” about the bill, which he said “increases the budget deficit, not just decreases it, and undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing.” The comments quickly made headlines, and the following day Musk confirmed his official departure from the government.
Key Background
Musk endorsed Trump and became a megadonor after an assassination attempt on the president while he was campaigning in July, and Musk ended up giving more than $200 million to help Trump get elected. After he won a second term in November, Trump announced Musk would lead the Department of Government Efficiency, which the president said would “slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies.” Musk became a special government employee—which limited his service term to 130 days—when Trump was inaugurated, and he began the work of slashing the federal workforce and spending. DOGE’s work—which included laying off hundreds of thousands of federal employees—drew bipartisan criticism and a number of legal challenges that are still playing out in court. Trump regularly praised Musk, though, and Friday when the pair were discussing Musk’s government departure, Trump thanked Musk for the “colossal change” DOGE spearheaded and said he thinks Musk will continue helping the government.
Crucial Quote
“I’ll continue to be visiting here and be a friend and adviser” to Trump, Musk said Friday at a press conference with the president.
Big Number
$2 trillion. That’s initially how much Musk said DOGE would save the government, though he later lowered the estimate to $1 trillion. DOGE’s website claims it has so far saved the government an estimated $175 billion, though the website has frequently featured errors like counting contracts multiple times, using “billions” when it meant to report “millions,” and more, according to The New York Times. A reporter from CNN estimated last week that less than half of the $175 billion figure is supported with documentation on DOGE’s sites.
Surprising Fact
Trump privately questioned whether Musk and DOGE could follow through on the amount of cuts they said they would make, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal Saturday. Unnamed officials in the administration told the Journal Trump asked, “was it all bullshit?” and wondered if Musk could actually cut $1 trillion in government spending.
Forbes Valuation
Forbes estimates Musk has a net worth of about $422.7 billion as of Sunday morning, making him the wealthiest person in the world.
Further Reading
Trump Defends Spending Bill After Musk Says It ‘Undermines’ DOGE Cuts (Forbes)
Elon Musk on DOGE and why he doesn’t want to “take responsibility for everything the administration’s doing” (CBS News)
Trump Defends Spending Bill After Musk Says It ‘Undermines’ DOGE Cuts (Forbes)
Trump Questioned Extent Of Musk’s DOGE Cuts, Report Says (Forbes)
