Musk says DOGE was only "somewhat successful," wouldn't do it again
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Katie Miller interviews Elon Musk in Austin, Texas. Photo: "The Katie Miller Podcast"
Elon Musk told Katie Miller in an interview for her podcast on Tuesday that DOGE, the Trump administration's cost-cutting department he spearheaded, was "somewhat successful."
Why it matters: It's a rare comment from Musk regarding the work DOGE did earlier this year, and hints at his lingering dissatisfaction with the inner workings of U.S. politics.
What they're saying: "We were a little bit successful," Musk said on "The Katie Miller Podcast" when asked if he thought DOGE was a success. "We were somewhat successful."
- But, he added, he wouldn't take on the project again.
- "Instead of doing DOGE, I would have ... worked at my companies, essentially, and they wouldn't have been burning the cars," Musk said, in reference to a spate of vandalism at Tesla dealerships in the wake of the government spending cuts.
Fun fact: The "Department of Government Efficiency" was "a made-up name" that was "based on internet suggestions," Musk said.
The big picture: Musk spoke to Miller on an array of subjects, from AI to space and immigration during the interview recorded in Austin, Texas.
- When asked about his time in D.C., Musk said he "wouldn't say I was super illusioned to begin with, I mean, I guess it's just like you really want the least amount done by government possible, the least amount."
- He claimed the biggest issue is "there are massive transfer payments going to illegal immigrants" and again floated the conspiracy theory that migrants are being paid to come to the U.S. "in vast numbers" and "fast-tracked to citizenship."
- Because of that, he claimed, those people are "beholden to government payments and voting hard left," and the tactic — which has never been substantiated — is, essentially, "voter importation."
Of note: Musk also echoed President Trump's targeting of Minnesota's Somali community and Somalia-born Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.).
- "Look at Ilan Omar, who was literally voted into power, voted into Congress by, you know, a large group of people from Somalia who are in Minnesota, which is really far from Somalia," he said.
- Musk claimed New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani was voted in "by a majority of people who are not born in America."
- He moved on to describing Democrat-led California as "a big-time situation," adding: "I don't know, we just don't want to turn into a communist hellhole, basically."
What we're watching: On space, Musk hailed his SpaceX Starship as "a revolutionary technology," touting the credentials of the V3 spacecraft that have seen failures, including explosions, during testing.
- Meanwhile, Musk said a new recommendation algorithm for X should go live this month, powered by his AI platform Grok.
- Grok will read every X post, every day, Musk said, and recommend new content to people based on their interests.
- "So, can an account with a small number of followers or a new account -- if the content is intrinsically excellent, can that content be seen by a lot of people? That's our goal," Musk said.
Background: Miller, who is married to Trump's top policy adviser, Stephen Miller, was then-Vice President Mike Pence's press secretary during the first Trump administration.
- She worked with Musk as a spokesperson for DOGE earlier this year, as he spearheaded mass cuts in federal spending and government jobs.
- Musk left the Trump administration in May, falling out with the president in the process, before later making up with him.
- Miller also departed the Trump administration in May and worked with Musk until August, when she left to launch her podcast.
Go deeper: Exclusive: Musk got DOGE's mission "backward," Lutnick says
Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional information throughout.
