Seated at the head of a large conference table inside the West Wing’s Roosevelt Room on Wednesday afternoon, Elon Musk, dressed in his signature T-shirt and blazer, ducked the question of whether his Department of Government Efficiency would meet his pledge of slashing $1 trillion from the federal budget.
“I think it’s possible to do that, but it’s a long road to go, and, you know, it’s really difficult,” he said of the trillion-dollar goal. “It’s sort of, how much pain is, you know, are the cabinet and is Congress willing to take? Because it can be done, but it requires dealing with a lot of complaints.”
His caginess contrasted with his chest-thumping confidence just a few months ago about what he would accomplish in government. Standing onstage at a Trump rally at Madison Square Garden in October, Mr. Musk told a roaring crowd that he could cut “at least two trillion” in federal spending. He later halved that figure.
Now, Mr. Musk, who never previously served in government, has been forced to revise his expectations even further, though he still insists his goals remain technically possible. His 101 days in government have been stormy, and his series of interviews this week — including Wednesday’s session with reporters from major newspapers and television networks — appeared to be an effort to wrest back control of the messaging.
He has clashed with cabinet secretaries and fielded complaints from lawmakers whose constituents’ services and jobs were threatened by cuts from his Department of Government Efficiency. He has argued with the president over tariffs and faced protests from federal employees, including over his decision to dismantle entire agencies, including the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
He has also run into a math problem that budget experts from both parties warned about: There is no way to slash a trillion dollars without tackling the most politically sensitive parts of the budget, social safety net programs and military spending.
