Elon Musk has called himself “White House’s tech support” and jokingly wore a black T-shirt that read: ‘Tech Support’ while appearing for a video call at the World Governments Summit.
The world’s wealthiest person on Thursday advocated for the elimination of entire federal agencies as part of an effort to drastically reduce government spending and reshape national priorities under President Donald Trump.
Speaking via video call at the World Governments Summit in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Musk provided insight into the Trump administration's goals while also discussing concerns about artificial intelligence and the threat of “thermonuclear warfare.”
ALSO READ| Elon Musk says xAI in final stages of releasing Grok 3: 'I think it's scary smart'
‘White House’s tech support’ Elon Musk
Musk's Tech Support,’ T-shirt made a quip about being the “White House’s tech support,” alluding to his profile on the X (formerly Twitter), which he owns.
“We really have here rule of the bureaucracy as opposed to rule of the people — democracy,” Musk remarked.
{{/usCountry}}“We really have here rule of the bureaucracy as opposed to rule of the people — democracy,” Musk remarked.
{{/usCountry}}“I think we do need to delete entire agencies as opposed to leave a lot of them behind. If we don’t remove the roots of the weed, then it’s easy for the weed to grow back.”
“If hypothetically, AI is designed for DEI, you know, diversity at all costs, it could decide that there’s too many men in power and execute them,” he added.
Musk's involvement in government efficiency raises executive power questions
Since taking charge of the Department of Government Efficiency, the Tesla boss has played a key role in sidelining career officials, gaining access to sensitive databases, and testing the boundaries of presidential authority. His involvement has fueled a constitutional debate over the extent of executive power.
Musk specifically highlighted the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the National Endowment for Democracy as examples of organizations facing scrutiny under Trump’s administration. “A lot of attention has been on USAID for example,” he said.
ALSO READ| Donald Trump turns away in disgust as Elon Musk's son picks his nose: Watch
“There’s like the National Endowment for Democracy. But I’m like, ‘Okay, well, how much democracy have they achieved lately?’”
Trump is “less interested in interfering with the affairs of other countries,” Musk clarified.