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Donald Trump could appoint Elon Musk to head up a committee identifying “wasteful” government programs to ax if he takes back the White House in November.
Trump’s advisers want to bring in prominent corporate leaders to help the government cut costs – and Musk has already publicly declared his interest in the role.
The idea was pitched to Trump by his former economic adviser, Steve Moore, who says creating a “blue ribbon” commission to eliminate wasteful federal spending “should be a high priority”, if the Republican presidential nominee wins a second term, The Washington Post reports.
It is no secret that Musk would be keen for a role in Trump’s administration. He told Trump during their conversation on X last month: “I think it would be great to just have a government efficiency commission that takes a look at these things and, and just ensures that the taxpayer money to the taxpayers, hard earned money is spent in a good way. And I’d be happy to help out on such a commission.”
The billionaire also posted an AI image of himself standing at a podium with “Department of Government Efficiency” written on it, a reference to the meme-inspired cryptocurrency, and said: “I am willing to serve.”
But the Tesla CEO’s involvement has sparked ethical concerns about conflicts of interest between a potential committee role and Musk’s multibillion dollar businesses.
SpaceX has received a multibillion-dollar contract from NASA, while Tesla has also received millions of dollars in federal funding. The GOP has called for more investment in satellite technology and to accelerate space exploration, leading to concerns that Musk’s businesses – including SpaceX and satellite business Starlink – would benefit from new federal contracts if Trump is reelected in November.
Anna Massoglia, a money in politics expert at non-profit OpenSecrets, told the Post Musk’s potential appointment “raises questions that the commission’s focus is on saving taxpayer dollars, but you have someone potentially involved whose company is one of the biggest recipients of federal spending”.
She added there would need to be “accountability mechanisms” so private sector actors on a committee “can’t manipulate it for personal gain”.
Last week, Trump attempted to quell reports that Musk could be given a prominent role in his administration on The Shawn Ryan Show. He said: “He wants to be involved, but look, he’s running big businesses and all that... so he can’t really… He can sort of, as the expression goes, consult with the country and give you some very good ideas.”
It is a different tone from when he received Musk’s endorsement last month, where Trump said he would “certainly” consider giving Musk a cabinet or advisory role.
“He’s a very smart guy. I certainly would, if he would do it, I certainly would. He’s a brilliant guy,” Trump told Reuters after a campaign event in York, Pennsylvania.
