Trump says he will employ Elon Musk to audit US Government if elected
Donald Trump has endorsed Tech billionaire Elon Musk to audit the US government and will front a new “efficiency commission” if the Republican candidate is re-elected.
In a speech on Thursday, Trump unveiled plans to establish a radical team to prune off what he believes to be excess baggage holding the US back.
It is a concept he’s reportedly taken on under the influence of the tech mogul and X owner. Musk, who has publicly endorsed Trump’s campaign and remains one of the world’s most influential names, has reportedly already agreed to head up the new initiative if the polls swing in Trump’s favour come November.
Speaking at the Economic Club of New York, Trump was characteristically vague on how the commission would operate but leaned heavily on Musk’s argument that it could dramatically slash government spending.
Musk had famously culled off the lion’s share of Twitter’s former staff once taking over the social media platform, claiming that there were jobs that simply did not need to exist.
Trump has continued to reiterate his longstanding goal of cutting back government regulations, which he believes are the red tape keeping America from prospering.
The nation has tumbled into its own cost of living crisis as the government flails around attempting to fix the multiple geopolitical issues that have erupted around the globe in recent years.
Trump has promised voters he will save them from what he describes as “the worst President in American history” and believes the most pressing issue is to de-bloat the system from within.
“I will create a government efficiency commission tasked with conducting a complete financial and performance audit of the entire federal government, and making recommendations for drastic reforms,” Trump told the audience.
Musk’s endorsement has no doubt given him sway over Republican policy, and Trump’s proposal hints that Musk could soon hold sweeping powers over federal agencies should the commission become a reality.
Musk’s role in such a commission, it it comes to fruition, raises several potenial conflicts of interest. His businesses, including SpaceX and Neuralink, operate under the regulation of numerous federal agencies.
However, the eccentric free speech absolutist has powered forward and welcomed endorsements from Trump with open arms.
“I look forward to serving America if the opportunity arises,” Musk posted, adding, “No pay, no title, no recognition is needed.”
Musk first raised the idea with Trump during an interview on X last month, during which he offered assistance in removing so-called bureaucratic waste at the federal level.
Musk has long been an outspoken advocate for deregulation, often pushing back against government oversight while simultaneously facing a string of lawsuits and investigations into his business practices, including allegations of labour law violations and animal welfare concerns.
But it hasn’t always been this peachy between the two billionaires.
Trump once referred to Musk as a “bullshit artist,” while Musk countered by suggesting Trump was too old to run for president.
But in recent months, the two have found common ground, each benefiting from the other’s influence while also sharing a common disdain for the Democratic party.
A month ago, Musk said he had plans to donate around $45 million (AUD $66.6m) per month to a new political group backing Trump as Harris began surging in some national polls.
Meanwhile, Trump has ramped up his online election campaign with several candid appearances on independent podcasts. He has openly criticised Harris’ lack of media appearances and interviews and has seemingly planned to drop viral bombs across the internet in a bid to sway voters that remain on the fence.
In his latest sit-down with Lex Fridman, Trump got into everything from Jeffrey Epstein to his belief that humanity could face the threat of WWIII, given the current state of geopolitics, accusing the vice-president of only engaging in “softball interviews” with major left-leaning news platforms.
“She couldn’t do an interview. This is an interview where they gave her multiple-choice questions. I think she did very poorly,” he said.
“She was a joke until about six weeks ago when they felt they had to pick her.”
When asked about the division in America, which social media has in some part exacerbated, Trump claimed the only way to create unity was to remove Biden and Harris from the White House.
He described Harris’ jump in the polls as a “honeymoon period” and told US voters “we have a chance to save this country”.
The latest broad polling figures from the US suggest 48 per cent of voters will tick the Harris box, with 45 per cent choosing Trump. Harris has had a major boost in popularity since Biden dropped out of the election race, but at this stage, the numbers are very fluid.
