DOGE, X Lawsuit, Assassination Attempt: Key Takeaways From Trump-Musk’s First Joint Interview- wna24

New Delhi, India: In their first-ever joint interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity, former U.S. President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk openly praised each other while discussing Musk’s advisory role. 

Trump clarified that while Musk serves as a technological advisor, he would not be involved in any government decisions related to his companies. Musk echoed this sentiment, emphasizing that he has “never asked the president for anything” and would recuse himself from matters involving his businesses, including SpaceX, which holds multiple government contracts with NASA.  

Musk also addressed concerns about his unelected influence, arguing that bureaucratic obstructionism is a bigger threat to democracy. “If the bureaucracy is fighting the will of the people and preventing the president from implementing what the people want, then what we live in is a bureaucracy, not a democracy,” he said. Wearing a T-shirt labeled “Tech Support,” Musk reiterated that his primary role is to provide technological expertise to the administration.  

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Trump praised Musk’s efficiency in executing executive orders, contrasting it with past administrations where “orders were signed but no work got done.” Musk elaborated on his initiative, the “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE), which aims to cut a trillion dollars from the federal deficit.  

“I think he’s going to find a trillion dollars,” Trump said, suggesting that the cuts would primarily target fraud, waste, and abuse in government spending. He reassured voters that social security, Medicare, and Medicaid would remain untouched, aside from eliminating fraudulent claims. He also reiterated his plan to abolish the Department of Education, returning control over schools to individual states.  

Also Read: I Love the President: Musk-Trump ‘Bromance’ Hits New High in First Joint Interview

Hannity highlighted that an assassination attempt on Trump’s life occurred on the same day Musk publicly endorsed him. Musk acknowledged the incident and praised Trump’s bravery.  

“Well, I mean—this is how you know someone’s true character because everyone can say they’re brave, but the president was actually shot. Courage under fire. ‘Fight, fight, fight,’ blood streaming down the face. That’s true courage. You can’t fake that,” Musk said.

When asked about the $10 million settlement between Trump and Musk’s social media platform, X, both men dismissed it as insignificant. “I left it up to the lawyers,” Musk said. Trump jokingly added, “I was looking to get much more money than that, so you gave him a discount.”  

‘I Respect Him… I’ve Always Respected Him’: Trump On His Relationship with Musk

Speaking about his relationship with Elon Musk, Donald Trump said, “I respect him. I’ve always respected him. I never knew that he was right on certain things. And I’m usually pretty good at this stuff. He did Starlink. He did things that were so advanced that nobody knew what the hell they were”.

Hailing Elon Musk as the ‘smartest guy in the country’, Donald Trump said, “I wanted somebody really smart to work with me in terms of the country… He’s a leader. Yeah. He gets it done. I wanted to find somebody smarter than him. I searched all over. I just couldn’t do it. I couldn’t find anyone smarter for the country. But this is the thing. We settled on this guy.”