Kathrine Frich
After months of silence and selective media appearances, Elon Musk sat down with mainstream reporters for the first time since joining the Trump administration.
After months of silence and selective media appearances, Elon Musk sat down with mainstream reporters for the first time since joining the Trump administration.
The Tesla CEO and head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) offered reflections on power, spending cuts, ice cream and even his own mortality.
A Surprise Appearance in the Roosevelt Room
Musk’s long-awaited press sit-down happened with little warning.
Reporters from major outlets including The New York Times, The Washington Post, NBC, Bloomberg, and even the Associated Press were told they had an hour to RSVP on Wednesday morning.
The meeting took place that same afternoon in the West Wing’s Roosevelt Room and lasted about an hour.
From Tech Mogul to Buddha?
At one point in the conversation, Musk reflected on his possible departure from DOGE and posed a rhetorical question:
“Is Buddha needed for Buddhism? Was it not stronger after he passed away?”
The remark, first reported by The Washington Post, stunned some in the room. While Musk’s tone was reportedly calm, the self-comparison to one of history’s most revered spiritual figures underscored his larger-than-life view of his political role.
DOGE Cuts Fall Short By Hundreds of Billions
Musk admitted that the sweeping $1 trillion in spending cuts he originally promised through DOGE has not materialized. So far, the department has trimmed approximately $160 billion.
“It’s really difficult,” Musk told reporters, noting that progress depends on how much political pain Congress and the Cabinet are willing to endure.
Layoffs Gone Too Far
Musk acknowledged that in the rush to slash federal spending, some essential government employees had been let go by mistake.
The backlash has been sharp, with both Democrats and Republicans blaming DOGE for creating chaos in agencies that manage everything from infrastructure to public safety.
Ice Cream Diplomacy in the Lincoln Bedroom
Musk shared lighter moments too, including a story about staying in the Lincoln Bedroom “more than once.”
According to USA Today, Musk said President Trump once called him late at night urging him to grab Häagen-Dazs caramel ice cream from the White House kitchen.
An Office with a Massive Monitor
Despite scaling back his involvement in Washington, Musk said he plans to keep his DOGE office, even if the view leaves something to be desired.
“It has a window, but all you see is the HVAC unit, which is fine,” Musk said, according to Axios. “It makes it harder to shoot me, I guess.”
He added that he still boasts the largest computer monitor on White House grounds.
“DOGE Is a Way of Life”
While Musk may be stepping back from daily operations, he made clear that DOGE isn’t going anywhere.
“DOGE is a way of life,” he declared, cementing his belief that government should run lean, tech-driven, and ruthlessly efficient, even if reality proves harder to optimize than code.