Donald Trump appoints Elon Musk to lead new US govt efficiency department

The United States President-elect, Donald Trump, has appointed tech magnate Elon Musk to lead his new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

The incoming agency, whose acronym refers to Mr Musk’s cryptocurrency, Dogecoin, was created to “dismantle” bureaucracy and reduce the government’s size.

The president-elect appointed Vivek Ramaswamy, a biotech investor, to work with Elon Musk on the project.

Mr Trump, in a statement issued on Tuesday, said the pair will pave the way for his administration and reduce excessive regulation and wasteful spending.

He said the pair, through the agency, will “drive out massive waste and fraud throughout our annual $6.5 trillion of government spending.”

He also noted that, under his plan, Mr Musk and Mr Ramaswamy would conclude their work by 4 July 2026, the 250th anniversary of the signing of the US Declaration of Independence.

“A smaller Government, with more efficiency and less bureaucracy, will be the perfect gift to America,” Mr Trump said.

Mr Musk and Mr Ramaswamy were staunch supporters of the president-elect, significantly contributing to his emergence as the election winner.

Mr Musk, ranked by Forbes as the richest man on earth, donated millions of dollars to support Mr Trump’s presidential campaign and made public appearances with him.

Mr Musk is the founder of the electric car company Tesla, the owner of X, and the leader of SpaceX, a rocket-building company.

Mr Ramaswamy, founder of a pharmaceutical company, also dropped out of the race to support Mr Trump in the election.

According to the president-elect, the pair can cut wasteful expenditures and restructure Federal Agencies.

Trumps’ campaign

During his campaign, Mr Trump discussed the proposed department several times, including a two-hour live programme on X with Mr Musk.

The latter had pitched to Mr Trump the idea of creating a commission to crack down on government waste.

To this, Mr Trump replied, “You’re the greatest cutter. I need an Elon Musk. I need somebody with a lot of strength, courage, and smarts.”

The president-elect also spoke of the idea in September during an appearance before the New York Economic Club.

He said, “I will create a government efficiency commission tasked with conducting a complete financial and performance audit of the federal government and making recommendations for drastic reforms.”

However, Mr Trump has said DOGE will be an entity that provides advice and guidance from outside the government.

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The president-elect said, “I look forward to Elon and Vivek making changes to the Federal Bureaucracy with an eye on efficiency and, at the same time, making life better for all Americans.

“Importantly, we will drive out the massive waste and fraud throughout our annual 6.5 Trillion Dollars of Government Spending. They will work together to liberate our Economy and make the U.S. Government accountable to “WE THE PEOPLE.”

He also compared the new DOGE initiative to the Manhattan Project, the top-secret World War II programme that developed the first nuclear weapons.

“It will become, potentially, “The Manhattan Project” of our time,” Mr Trump said.