Tesla CEO and X owner Elon Musk announced on Monday that he would be willing to serve in Donald Trump’s administration.
In a post on X, Musk shared a photo of himself standing at what appeared to be a podium with the words “D.O.G.E.”
Underneath were the words “Department of Government Efficiency.”
“I am willing to serve,” Musk wrote in his post.
I am willing to serve pic.twitter.com/BJhGbcA2e0
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 20, 2024
Musk’s post comes after he and former President Donald Trump recently took part in a conversation in an X Space where they spoke about topics such as government spending, the economy, the increase in grocery prices, and how the United States did not “have a president right now,” among other topics.
During the conversation between Musk and Trump, Musk pitched the idea of a “government efficiency commission,” which would cut down on government waste and “ensure” that taxpayers’ money is “spent in a good way.”
“I think it would be great to just have a government efficiency commission that takes a look at these things and just ensures that the taxpayer money, the taxpayers’ hard-earned money, is spent in a good way,” Musk explained. “And I’d be happy to help out on such a commission if it were formed.”
Musk also added that the U.S. government needed to decrease its spending, stating that the U.S. was “adding” around “a trillion dollars to the deficit” every 100 days.
“We’re currently adding, I think, a trillion dollars to the deficit every roughly every 100 days,” Musk said. “And the interest payments on the national debt have now exceeded the defense budget. It’s on the order of a trillion dollars, and it keeps growing.”
The national debt is currently roughly $35 trillion, according to the Peter G. Peterson Foundation’s national debt clock.