President-elect Donald Trump moved quick to assemble his administration on Tuesday night, appointing SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy to lead a new DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency).
Advice and guidance from ‘outside’ of Government
Although the department’s title suggests an internal role, Trump clarified in a statement that the Musk-Ramaswamy team would provide “advice and guidance from outside of Government” in collaboration with the White House and the Office of Management & Budget to drive extensive structural reform and create an entrepreneurial approach to government that was unprecedented.
The president-elect, 78, compared this initiative to the Manhattan Project, which developed the atomic bomb, and shared Musk’s view that the effort would “send shockwaves through the system,” particularly among those contributing to government waste.
DOGE to dismantle bureaucracy
Trump expressed his belief that Musk and Ramaswamy in DOGE would be instrumental in helping his administration dismantle government bureaucracy, reduce unnecessary regulations, cut wasteful spending, and overhaul federal agencies, which he saw as essential to the “Save America” movement.
The 39-year-old Ramaswamy, who had previously run against Trump for the 2024 Republican nomination, was widely speculated to be working with Musk on whatever role the president-elect assigned them. Just before Trump’s announcement, Ramaswamy posted a cryptic tweet, “SHUT IT DOWN,” and soon after added a message on X tagging Musk and displaying an American flag emoji, stating that they would not “go gently.”
DOGE to promote transparency
Ramaswamy, who had been considered as a potential replacement for Vice President-elect JD Vance in the U.S. Senate, also announced he would withdraw his name from the selection process for the Ohio Senate seat soon to be vacant. Having dropped out of the GOP presidential race after placing fourth in the Iowa caucuses, he endorsed Trump in January.
Meanwhile, Musk shared on social media that the “DOGE” initiative—an acronym apparently inspired by the widely memed Shiba Inu mascot Musk once used to replace Twitter’s bird logo—would promote “transparency.” He promised that the actions of the Department of Government Efficiency would be available online, inviting the public to voice concerns if they felt something crucial was being cut or that wasteful spending was not adequately addressed.
Leaderboard” to showcase the “most insanely dumb”
Musk also hinted at creating a “leaderboard” to showcase the “most insanely dumb” ways taxpayer money was being spent, adding that this would be both tragic and highly entertaining.
Musk had endorsed Trump following the July 13 assassination attempt in Butler, Pa., and had appeared with him on stage there in October during the then-GOP nominee’s return to the location. Musk campaigned for Trump at several rallies in swing states and, through his political action committee, provided daily $1 million incentives to swing-state residents who registered to vote and pledged support for free speech and gun rights. Musk joined Trump in Palm Beach, Fla., on election night as the results were counted.
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