Tesla CEO Elon Musk expressed confidence on Wednesday that his efforts to cut federal budget and workforce could continue even after leaving the White House.
“Is Buddha necessary for Buddhism?” Musk rather munches during Wednesday's briefing at the White House when asked who would fill his void when he leaves the administration.
Speaking to a small group of reporters, Musk said he plans to continue working with Government Efficiency (DOGE) one or two days a week when he returns to his business empire.
The billionaire tech entrepreneur has pressured Tesla board members to return to the helm of his electric vehicle (EV) company in Washington Reading Doge months later. Musk told Tesla shareholders after a spectacular revenue wonder that he would soon spend more of his time focusing on the company.
Musk said Wednesday that if he finishes his job completely at the end of the year, it would be “at the president's discretion.” His position as a special civil servant is also set to expire on May 30, but it remains unclear whether it will limit mask involvement beyond his own intentions.
“I'm willing to contribute an average of one or two days a week. This probably means that as long as the president wants me to do that, I'll come to DC every other week for three days indefinitely,” Musk said.
He also proposed returning to the White House due to special circumstances, describing it as a “natural event” that will close the government's services three months later.
“Obviously, if there's an emergency where the President or Cabinet wants me to respond to me at the time, I'll do that. But if not, I think it's pretty easy to manage on an average of a day or two.
“No one's left,” he said of the Doge team with less than 100 staff members. “No, some people will stay, some won't. So it's up to them. This is basically a volunteer organization.”
“Doge is like a way of life… We're always converting,” Musk said.
Musk has been constant by Trump's part from the night of the president's stunning reelection. The high-tech billionaire who dumped millions of dollars into Pro Trump's super PAC and worked for Trump in a major swing state was often seen at Mar-a-Lago during the transition.
Musk reportedly clashed with officials from Trump Cabinet, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bescent, but the president stood by Musk through Doge, the controversial stint-leading.
Musk has been at Trump's Cabinet meeting since the start of his administration, and at Wednesday's meeting, the president invited Mask to stay with his team as long as he wanted.
“You've been treated unfairly, but the majority of people in this country really respect and appreciate you,” Trump said of Musk.
Despite Musk preparing to reduce his time at DC, he plans to stay nearby.
“I'm maintaining a micro office,” Musk said.
“I like a comically small office upstairs, but I also have the biggest monitor,” he said. “I have to admit, I play video games from time to time.”
Tesla's CEO compared Doge to Buddhism in other eras through conversation, claiming that his team is not different between former President Clinton's administration and ideology in his approach to waste in the federal government.
“What if you take a transcript of Clinton Gore's speech and say, 'Who said? Doge or clinton-gore?' You'll sound the same as what we're saying,” he said. “We are basically Democrats from the 90s teleported in 2025.”
But Democrats have accused Musk of trying to cut spending outside of the constitutionally established spending process, ousting thousands of federal employees from their jobs and making misleading claims about the size and type of programs the panel has targeted.
Doge could find a cut of around $160 billion to the federal government, Musk argued. The billionaire said in January that the “best case outcome” was to cut federal spending to $20 trillion.
When asked if he thought it was possible to save $1 trillion, he did not close the idea.
“I think it's possible to do that, but going is a long way to go,” he said.
“How painful is it to take the cabinets and councils willing to take? It can be done, but there are many complaints that need to be addressed,” he added.
Musk said he hopes that work to reduce federal waste will continue throughout Trump's four-year term.
“I guess,” he replied when asked if he would retain his title as an advisor to the White House. “My title is the best officer. There's literally nothing on my card. It just says my name.”
