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Elon Musk declares ‘it begins’ as DOGE gets govt checkmark on X despite not being an official department
DOGE's account has already been verified on Musk-owned X as an official government entity, and it might be against the platform's verification guidelines.
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and Indian-American biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy have already expressed their excitement to co-lead the Department of Government Efficiency under the Trump 2.0 government. And now, DOGE's account has already been verified on Musk-owned X as an official government entity, and it might be against the platform's verification guidelines.
On Tuesday, President-elect Donald Trump declared that Ramaswamy and Musk will co-head the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, informing that the new department would work to reduce spending and regulations.
Musk and Ramaswamy, according to Trump, will “provide advice and guidance from outside the Government.”
DOGE has an X account with 1 mn followers so far
In less than two days after the announcement, the DOGE account on X displays the gray verified checkmark, which is utilized to determine accounts belonging to governments or multilateral organisations.
In accordance with X's checkmark regulations, organizations that qualify for the gray checkmark are typically limited to accounts held by heads of state and government leaders, executive office accounts, government agency accounts, and embassy and state-level accounts.
Given that DOGE is not a recognised government agency as of now, the gray checkmark might have violated X's regulations.
The DOGE's X handle, with 1 million followers so far, has shared two posts, including Trump's statement on Ramaswamy and Musk.
“Working overtime to ensure your tax dollars will be spent wisely!” read another post, which has drawn over 50 views. Sharing the post on X, Musk wrote: “It begins.”
Trump teases DOGE logo
Following Trump announcement, Musk even teased the DOGE logo featuring a Shiba Inu dog on X. His post quickly garnered several reactions, including one from Ramaswamy.
Later, Musk said he intended to publish a public scoreboard of "the most insanely dumb spending of your tax dollars" and allow users to comment on specific possible cuts.
During the presidential campaign, Musk publicly endorsed Trump, using his social media platform to try to win over other Silicon Valley millionaires and publish supportive messages on a regular basis.
