2024 Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump announced during an address to the Economic Club of New York that billionaire Elon Musk will serve as the head of a Government Efficiency Commission if he is elected for a second term come November.
Trump told his audience that Musk agreed to take charge of the prospective commission, which would handle auditing and reforming the finances and performance of the entire federal government.
“The suggestion of Elon Musk, who has given me his complete endorsement, that’s nice. Smart guy. He knows what he’s doing. He knows what he’s doing! It’s very, very much appreciated,” Trump said. “I will create a Government Efficiency Commission tasked with conducting a complete financial and performance audit of the entire federal government, and making recommendations for drastic reforms. We need to do it. We can’t go on the way we are now.”
“And Elon, because he’s not very busy,” Trump joked, “has agreed to head that task force. Be interesting — if he has the time! He’d be a good one to do it. But he’s agreed to do it.”
It’s happening – Trump will put @elonmusk on a “Government Efficiency Commission tasked with conducting a complete financial and performance audit of the entire federal government, and making recommendations for drastic reforms”
Elon fired 90% of Twitter and now he’ll help fire… pic.twitter.com/Te2hrWoHJQ
— DC_Draino (@DC_Draino) September 5, 2024
Trump claimed his Government Efficiency Commission under Musk would crack down on “fraud and improper payments” in half a year. The former president argued that the commission would go after wasteful spending, address inflation and lower prices. (RELATED: Millions Could Miss Trump, Harris Debate As ABC Feuds With Major TV Provider)
“In 2022, fraud and improper payments alone cost taxpayers an estimated hundreds of billions of dollars. As the first order of business, this commission will develop an action plan to totally eliminate fraud and improper payments within six months. This will save trillions of dollars. Trillions. It’s massive. For the same service that you have right now — trillions of dollars wasted and gone and nobody knows where it went. Further taming inflation and bringing prices way down,” Trump said.
Trump told Reuters on Aug. 19 that he would consider having Musk as an adviser or in a cabinet position. He hailed Musk, who bought and overhauled Twitter after the social media platform banned Trump, as “brilliant” and “a very smart guy.”
Musk responded to Trump’s Aug. 19 remarks on X. “I am willing to serve,” he wrote.
I am willing to serve pic.twitter.com/BJhGbcA2e0
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 20, 2024
Musk endorsed Trump soon after the former president was grazed in the ear by a bullet in an assassination attempt at a rally on Butler, Pennsylvania. The Tesla CEO reportedly said he plans to commit around $45 million per month to the American PAC, a super political action committee (PAC) formed to advance Trump’s electoral prospects.
