President Trump revealed Tuesday night that he looked for “somebody smarter” than billionaire Elon Musk to run the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) but couldn’t find that person.
“You know, I wanted to find somebody smarter than him,” Trump told Fox News host Sean Hannity, with Musk sitting beside the 47th president during an interview that aired Tuesday night.
“I searched all over. I just couldn’t do it,” he added. “I couldn’t. I really tried hard. I couldn’t find anyone smarter.”
“We settled on this guy,” Trump quipped, pointing to the billionaire founder of SpaceX and Tesla.
The joint interview – the duo’s first together – was taped at the White House last week.
Since Trump’s inauguration, the Musk-led DOGE initiative has implemented sweeping cuts across federal agencies to root out waste, fraud and abuse.
Federal Judge Tanya Chutkan denied a bid by Democrat-led states Tuesday to temporarily block Musk and DOGE from laying off federal workers and accessing sensitive data at seven government agencies.
In recent weeks, DOGE has targeted its cost-cutting force on the US Agency for International Development, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Education, the Office of Personnel Management and the Department of Agriculture.
DOGE staffers have also embedded themselves at the Treasury Department and recently clashed with former Social Security Administration acting Commissioner Michelle King, who resigned over the weekend.
Trump has instructed Musk’s team of “super geniuses” to look into the Pentagon’s budget as well.
Thus far, DOGE estimates it has saved taxpayers $55 billion through its various cuts.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
