US President Donald Trump and billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk made their first televised joint appearance in an interview with Fox News’s Sean Hannity. The discussion touched on various topics, including Musk’s role as an advisor to Trump and the White House’s stance on his influence.
Hannity opened the interview by referencing X’s recent $10 million settlement with Trump. However, both Trump and Musk downplayed its significance. “I left it up to the lawyers,” Musk responded, while Trump quipped, “I was looking to get much more money than that, so you gave him a discount.”
Trump vowed that the newly established US DOGE Service would eliminate massive waste from the federal budget, claiming it could save “hundreds of billions” of dollars.
During the discussion, Hannity remarked on the dynamic between Trump and Musk, joking, “It feels like I’m interviewing two brothers here.”
Musk’s role in the White House
Wearing a t-shirt that read “tech support,” Musk stated that his primary role was to provide technological support to the president. He emphasised the importance of executing executive orders, saying, “If the bureaucracy is fighting the will of the people and preventing the president from implementing what the people want, then what we live in is a bureaucracy, not a democracy.”
Trump praised Musk’s efficiency in executing executive orders, stating, “Trump shared how Elon Musk brought to his attention that a lot of executive orders don’t get implemented. I wanted somebody really smart to work with me in terms of the country… He’s a leader. Yeah. He gets it done. I wanted to find somebody smarter than him. I searched all over. I just couldn’t do it. I couldn’t find anyone smarter for the country. But this is the thing. We settled on this guy.”
Musk further said those worried about his power as an unelected advisor to the president should be more concerned about the thousands of unelected federal employees in the government’s civilian workforce.
Addressing concerns over conflicts of interest, Musk stated, “I haven’t asked the president for anything ever,” assuring the public that he would recuse himself from any government decisions involving his companies. Trump reinforced this, insisting Musk would not influence policies related to his businesses, which hold major government contracts.
Endorsing Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
During the discussion, Musk expressed support for Trump’s nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the nation’s top health agency. “He’s unfairly maligned as someone who is anti-science, but questioning science is the essence of the scientific method,” Musk said.
Aiming for government efficiency
Elon Musk revealed that the Trump administration’s newly created “Department of Government Efficiency” is working to cut $1 trillion from the national deficit. “I think he’s going to find a trillion dollars,” Trump stated, adding the savings to eliminating fraud, waste, and abuse in government spending.
Education policy
Trump emphasised that social security would remain untouched despite the cost-cutting measures. He also reiterated his plan to abolish the Department of Education, arguing that returning school control to the states would improve efficiency and local decision-making.