DOGE was established by President Donald Trump via executive order on his first day in office, aimed at cutting waste and fraud throughout the federal government. The effort has cut thousands of jobs and significant federal funds, as it seeks to succeed on its goal by its prescribed expiration date of July 4, 2026, the United States’ 250th birthday.
Musk spoke with reporters Wednesday after sitting in on a Cabinet meeting in the White House, where he received applause from Cabinet members after Trump alluded to the de facto DOGE head’s upcoming departure from day-to-day activities overseeing DOGE. He told analysts last month that he would be spending more time at Tesla beginning in the coming weeks as he claims the work establishing DOGE is largely done, but told reporters Wednesday, while DOGE has been effective, it has not been as much as he would like.
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“In the grand scheme of things, I think we’ve been effective. Not as effective as I like…but we’ve made progress,” Musk told Axios.
He also told the outlet that DOGE can only be as effective as people in government, including the administration, are willing to put up with the “pain.”
“There’s a long way to go,” Musk said. “It’s pretty difficult…It’s like: How much pain is the Cabinet and Congress willing to take? It can be done. But it requires dealing with a lot of complaints.”
Members of Congress have been facing frustrated constituents at town halls focused on the DOGE cuts. Given the hostile environment, the National Republican Congressional Committee instructed members not to host any more. Some members have continued to face the voters and have come back to D.C. concerned about the fast pace of the cuts.
He insisted that winding down his influence over DOGE’s daily operations does not mean the initiative will end, likening the efforts of DOGE to Buddhism.
“DOGE is a way of life, like Buddhism,” Musk told the outlet. “Buddha isn’t alive anymore. You wouldn’t ask the question: ‘Who would lead Buddhism?’”
Musk’s departure from DOGE comes after his personal favorability has taken a hit in the more than 100 days he has been on the job and as people opposed to his efforts have protested and attacked his other businesses, like Tesla.
During his interview with reporters, he acknowledged the intense backlash he has gotten. He said that “being attacked relentlessly is not super fun,” specifically saying that “seeing cars on fire is not fun.”
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Despite negative reception from a large portion of the public, Trump still praised Musk and called him a “tremendous help” on Wednesday during a cabinet meeting at the White House.
“You have been treated unfairly, but the vast majority of people in this country really respect and appreciate you, and this whole room can say that very strongly,” Trump said. “You’ve really been a tremendous help. You opened up a lot of eyes as to what can be done, and we just want to thank you very much.”