Elon Musk is urging the United States government to eliminate entire federal agencies as part of a cost-cutting effort under President Donald Trump’s administration. Speaking via video call at the World Governments Summit in Dubai on Thursday, Musk criticized the federal bureaucracy and explained what he sees as the priorities for the Trump presidency.
“We need to delete entire agencies, as opposed to leaving part of them behind. Because if you’re leaving a weed and you don’t remove the roots of it, then it’s easy to grow back. We need to remove the roots of the weed to make it harder.” Musk said during his address.
The billionaire, dressed in a black T-shirt reading “Tech Support,” emphasized that bureaucracy had overtaken democracy, arguing that excessive government agencies had become obstacles to efficiency.
Musk: Bureaucracy will go down
Elon Musk downplayed concerns about bureaucratic growth under the current Republican administration. He asserts that any expansion would come “from a lower baseline.” To that end, structural changes made now could create a stronger foundation.
President Donald Trump tasked Musk with leading a major downsizing of the federal government through the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which has drawn both praise and several legal queries.
In his activities with DOGE, Tesla’s CEO said that the Trump administration was shifting away from international intervention. He singled out the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the National Endowment for Democracy, questioning their effectiveness.
“A lot of attention has been on USAID, for example,” Musk said. “But I’m like, ‘Okay, well, how much democracy have they achieved lately?’”
Speaking to the audience in the United Arab Emirates, a country ruled by an autocratic monarchy, Musk suggested the US had been overly aggressive in its global interventions. He believes the West will now be less involved in other country’s national affairs.
“There are times the United States has been kind of pushy in international affairs, which may resonate with some members of the audience,” he noted.
AI and diversity programs
Musk also took aim at diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives that he once called “just another word for racism.” The program was allegedly funded by USAID in several countries during the Biden’s administration, which the Republican government want to completely eliminate.
At one point, he connected DEI efforts to artificial intelligence (AI), a technology DOGE wants to tap into in the coming months, per an exclusive from tech publication WIRED.
“If hypothetically, AI is designed for DEI, you know, diversity at all costs, it could decide that there’s too many men in power and execute them,” he said.
Hours after being sworn in as president, Donald Trump hastily signed executive orders to dismantle diversity and environmental programs, banning federal initiatives related to “environmental justice programs,” “equity initiatives,” and DEI considerations in hiring.
The administration also placed employees from federal diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility offices on paid administrative leave, effectively sidelining those programs.
Musk at the White House: Defending cost-cutting measures
Last Tuesday, Musk made a surprise appearance at the White House, where he denied several accusations from liberals that he was leading a “hostile takeover” of the government. Standing beside Trump in the Oval Office, he defended his role in reducing the size of federal agencies.
“The people voted for major government reform, and that’s what the people are going to get,” Musk told reporters. “That’s what democracy is all about.“
President Trump reinforced Musk’s mandate by signing an order expanding DOGE’s authority, requiring agency heads to comply with its directives.
The department is currently battling a heap of lawsuits. US federal judge is blocking the billionaire and his team from accessing US Treasury records. DOJ is concerned that the agency could interfere with congressionally approved or “mandatory” funding.
Musk dismissed concerns, calling the restructuring “common sense” rather than “draconian or radical.” He argued that trimming government agencies was necessary to streamline operations and curb spending.
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