President-elect Donald Trump has announced that Tesla CEO Elon Musk and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy will join his administration to lead the newly established Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
The new department, Trump says, will help “dismantle” government bureaucracy, “slash excess regulations,” cut “wasteful spending,” and “restructure” federal agencies.
Trump, ever the salesman, described DOGE as “potentially ‘The Manhattan Project’ of our time.”
The Department of Memes
The new body’s acronym shares a name with Musk’s favorite cryptocurrency and memecoin, Dogecoin, often known as Doge for short.
Musk contributed over $100 million to Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign through his America PAC. Since Trump’s election win, Musk has spent time with the president-elect in Mar-a-Lago, even sitting in on calls with foreign leaders.
Conflicts of Interest
Both Musk and Ramaswamy responded to the announcement in their signature styles. Musk, either speaking of himself or the Trump administration, said, “Threat to democracy? Nope, threat to BUREACRACY!!!”
Musk’s appointment raises potential conflict-of-interest questions due to his companies’ significant federal subsidies and extensive government contracts.
Tesla has received billions of dollars in federal subsidies and is subject to extensive regulation for safety, emissions, and other standards. SpaceX has been awarded tens of billions of dollars in U.S. government contracts since 2008.
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