President Donald Trump expressed confidence on Sunday that Elon Musk, who is overseeing a purge of U.S. government jobs, will uncover “hundreds of billions of dollars in fraud” within federal agencies. In an interview with Fox News scheduled to air before the Super Bowl, Trump stated that Americans want him to identify government waste, and that Musk, the world’s wealthiest individual and leader of the president’s cost-cutting initiatives, has been “a great help” in eliminating unnecessary spending.
“We’re going to uncover billions, hundreds of billions of dollars in fraud and abuse. And, you know, the people elected me for that,” Trump said, according to excerpts released by Fox.
In his third week back in the White House, Trump has launched a series of executive orders focused on reducing federal spending. He appointed Musk, the CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, to lead the government cost-cutting efforts under the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Musk has already taken steps to downsize the U.S. Agency for International Development, resulting in the layoff of thousands of employees, though federal judges have temporarily blocked some of these cuts.
In the interview, Trump mentioned that within the next few days, he plans to direct Musk to focus on the Department of Education. “Then I’m going to go to the military,” Trump added, reiterating his intention to review spending at the Pentagon, which has a proposed budget of approximately $850 billion for 2025.
Musk’s involvement in these efforts has faced criticism, partly due to his companies receiving billions in federal contracts, more than $20 billion, according to House Democrat Mark Pocan. When asked if he trusts Musk to fairly identify wasteful spending, Trump asserted that Musk and his companies will not benefit financially from his role with DOGE. “He’s not gaining anything,” Trump said.
