Elon Musk recently responded sharply to journalist Mishal Husain’s probing questions about the DOGE and its claimed daily savings of $4 billion.
The billionaire’s terse five-word rebuttal highlighted growing tensions around DOGE’s performance and Musk’s role in the Trump administration.
Elon Musk revises DOGE savings goals amid skepticism
Before DOGE was officially launched, Musk forecasted that the advisory board could save America up to $2 trillion by 2026.
This ambitious figure was later softened by Musk himself. He called it a “best-case outcome” and set a more achievable target of $1 trillion. Since DOGE’s inception 122 days ago, official data shows it has saved approximately $170 billion. This amount is far short of Musk’s initial goals.
Additionally, experts have questioned the accuracy of these numbers, adding to scrutiny over DOGE’s effectiveness.
Elon Musk clashed with a Bloomberg journalist over media questioning
During the Qatar Economic Forum, Bloomberg’s Mishal Husain challenged Musk on the discrepancies between his earlier claims and current results.
She noted that saving $4 billion per day would still not meet the $2 trillion goal on schedule.
Elon didn’t appear too pleased with Husain’s questioning. He retorted with a cutting remark, comparing the journalist’s questions to a video game’s “NPC dialogue tree.”
He accused her of limited, repetitive questioning, “I feel you’re somewhat trapped in the NPC dialogue tree of a traditional journalist, so it’s difficult when I’m conversing with someone who’s trapped in the dialogue tree of a conventional journalist, because it’s like I’m talking to a computer,” Musk proclaimed.
Elon Musk defended DOGE’s performance
Musk insisted that no advisory group had achieved better results historically, emphasizing DOGE’s limited scope.
Elon Musk said: “I don’t think any advisory group has done better in the history of advisory groups for the government. Now, we do not make the laws, nor do we control the judiciary, nor do we control the executive branch. We are simply advisers. In that context we’re doing very well.”
Previously, Trump acknowledged the limits of DOGE’s power. Despite this, Musk’s team has aggressively pursued reforms in key government departments, including USAID.
Elon Musk’s DOGE reform was accuse of harm
Critics argue that Musk’s reforms have caused significant harm. Accusations range from humanitarian damage to national security risks.
Bill Gates publicly condemned Musk’s dismantling of USAID, claiming it was “killing children.”
Furthermore, DOGE has been linked to national security concerns after firing key Department of Energy employees.
DOGE claims to have saved $1,055.90 per taxpayer in the U.S.
However, this figure is still 91% below the level needed to meet the $2 trillion target, based on 161 million taxpayers.