According to The Washington Post, Elon Musk could potentially have a role in the Trump administration to help audit federal agencies and identify programs to cut.

Musk has already expressed interest in the possible role.

“I can’t wait. There is a lot of waste and needless regulation in government that needs to go,” Musk commented.

From The Washington Post:

Behind closed doors, former president Donald Trump and his advisers have been talking for months about forming a commission led by prominent business executives to comb through the government books to identify thousands of programs to cut.

Lately, one particularly famous candidate has made clear he’d be up for it: Elon Musk. And he may have much to gain personally from the endeavor.

On several occasions, including on X, the social media platform he owns, the Tesla and SpaceX chief executive has expressed interest in being part of a “government efficiency commission” aimed at eliminating wasteful regulations and spending. Musk in August posted an apparently artificial intelligence-generated image of himself behind a lectern labeled “Department of Government Efficiency,” with the acronym DOGE — a meme-based cryptocurrency Musk has previously embraced.

Musk’s potential involvement in a government regulatory and spending commission has sparked concerns from ethics experts who point to conflicts of interest that could emerge between such a post and his business empire. But Trump advisers are eager to bring in prominent corporate leaders to compile a high-profile list of federal excess, reprising efforts similar to those led by President Ronald Reagan and Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), who once published an annual “Waste Book” on allegedly frivolous spending.

“I am willing to serve,” Musk previously said.

Per Forbes:

In an interview livestreamed on X in early August, however, Trump signaled his willingness to offer Musk a “government efficiency” role in his administration and Musk said he would be “happy to help out” with a commission that would ensure “taxpayer’s money… is spent in a good way.”

In late August, Trump said he would “absolutely” put Musk in his cabinet but that the business mogul likely wouldn’t have the time to serve in such a position, suggesting Musk could instead “consult with the country and give you some very good ideas.”

Brian Hughes, a senior advisor for the Trump campaign, called Musk a “champion for free speech” and said while it is “premature” to discuss any prospective personnel decisions for the next administration, “we welcome the enthusiasm and support of Elon Musk.”

 

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