The two men talked about Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), predicting $1 trillion in suspect spending will be found.
President Donald Trump and Elon Musk discussed waste, fraud, abuse, and more in a joint interview with Sean Hannity that aired on Feb. 18.
Questions Answered:
- Musk Would Have Endorsed Trump Even Without Assassination Attempt
- Trump, Musk Say They Are Not at Odds
- Musk on DOGE-Related Conflicts of Interest: ‘I’ll Recuse Myself’
- Musk, Trump Talk DOGE Workers
- Musk, Trump Discuss Bringing Astronauts Home
- On DOGE, $1 Trillion Floated
The world’s wealthiest man and the president of the United States defended the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), now facing political opposition and numerous lawsuits as it slashes government spending—including negative publicity for firing and then seeking to rehire key nuclear weapons workers.
Musk also sought to make it clear he stands with Trump and vice versa.
“I think President Trump is a good man,” the tech entrepreneur said.
Trump reciprocated, saying he “couldn’t find anyone smarter” than Musk to assist his administration.
Here are some takeaways from the joint interview on Fox News.
Musk Would Have Endorsed Trump Even Without Assassination Attempt
Musk, best known for his work with SpaceX, Tesla Motors, and other tech firms, publicly backed Trump after an attempt on his life at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July 2024. But the tech titan’s support was apparently already in the cards.
During the Feb. 18 joint interview, Musk said that he was “going to do it anyway.” The assassination attempt, which claimed the life of Corey Comperatore, simply accelerated Musk’s timeline.
“I sped it up,” Musk said.
The president said he “didn’t know that” about Musk’s endorsement.
Musk went on to stump for the then-candidate. He also donated hundreds of millions to backing Trump.
Musk said his time with Trump deepened his appreciation of the president’s character—a point of contention for Trump’s critics, including some of the Republicans who contested him during the 2024 primary.
“Not once have I seen him do something that was mean or cruel or wrong,” Musk said.
Trump, Musk Say They Are Not at Odds
The two men also talked about the publicity around their joint efforts, accusing the media of trying to fracture their relationship.
As DOGE was taking shape after Election Day, some news outlets reported that Musk’s ascendance was elevating him to a quasi-presidential role, a line of argument advanced by some Democrats.
Trump said Musk phoned him to say, “‘You know, they’re trying to drive us apart.’”
“It’s just so obvious. They’re so bad at it. I used to think they were good at it. They’re actually bad at it, because if they were good at it, I’d never be president,” he added.
Musk also affirmed his commitment to advancing, and not usurping, the elected president. He pointed out that his T-shirt read, “Tech Support.”
“I’m going to provide the president with technology support,” he said. “It’s a very important thing because the president will make these executive orders which are very sensible and good for the country, but then they don’t get implemented.”
