The billionaire Tesla chief has floated the idea of leading a government agency focused on federal spending
“He’s a very smart guy. I certainly would, if he would do it, I certainly would. He’s a brilliant guy,” the Republican presidential nominee told Reuters on Monday during a campaign event in Pennsylvania when asked about naming Musk to an advisory role or cabinet position.
Musk and Trump have reportedly gotten closer over the past several months, often discussing matters like the U.S. Space Force and immigration. Musk has counseled Trump on cryptocurrency policy and a potential advisory role if he wins a second term in November, as well as electric vehicles, Bloomberg reported in late May.
In July, after an assassination attempt against the former president, Musk formally endorsed Trump’s presidential bid. Musk also helped launch the super PAC America PAC earlier this summer, which is focused on “get out the vote” initiatives and has major private equity and venture capitalist backers. The group is already being investigated by authorities in Michigan and North Carolina over its practices, CNBC reports.
During an hours-long interview last week, Musk volunteered to work for a potential government commission to reign in spending. On Tuesday, he supported the idea of leading a possible Department of Government Efficiency. The acronym, of course, would be DOGE, the name of his favorite meme-based cryptocurrency,
“I am willing to serve,” Musk wrote in a separate post late Monday on X $TWTR, formerly Twitter, which he owns. He also shared a — likely artificial intelligence-generated — image of himself standing behind a DOGE lectern.
If Trump wins the election, it’s widely expected that he would gut his predecessors’ push away from vehicles that run on gas. That may include freezing grants included in President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, doing away with new rules on tailpipe emissions, and scrapping the $7,500 tax credit for electric vehicles.
Trump told Reuters that “tax credits and tax incentives are not generally a very good thing,” although he noted that he was not making “any final decisions on it.”
While doing away with the federal tax credit could hamper EV adoption rates and sales for automakers, Musk has expressed his support for removing all subsidies on the auto industry. During a recent earnings call, he said doing away with the IRA tax credits “probably actually helps Tesla” (TSLA) in the long term because it would hurt rivals.
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