Elon Musk Complains ‘The Government Is Basically Unfixable’ After Disastrous Trump Administration Stint
Tesla boss Elon Musk is clearly a bit jaded following his stint running the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) for President Donald Trump, venting that the government is “basically unfixable” in a new interview.
Musk, during a video appearance at the All-In Summit on Tuesday night, said he has not been back to Washington, D.C. since May, when Trump presented him with a gold key to the White House on the day he exited DOGE. Things went sideways soon after, with Musk ripping the president on X, his social media platform, and accusing Trump of covering up the Epstein files because he was named in them.
When All-In podcast co-host Jason Calacanis asked if he learned any lessons during his time in D.C., Musk did not sugarcoat his thoughts.
“The government is basically unfixable,” Musk said, which drew a laugh from the hosts and crowd.
He then complimented All-In co-host David Sacks, who is serving as the White House AI and crypto czar, before sharing why he is pessimistic.
“I applaud David’s noble efforts — it’s good to have talented people in the administration,” Musk said. “But at the end of the day, if you look at our national debt, which is insanely high — the interest payments exceed the Defense Department — sorry, I guess, War Department’s — budget. And they keep rising. So if AI and robots do not solve our national debt, we’re toast.”
Musk’s concern over government spending was a chief reason he spearheaded DOGE in the first place. He said his goal was to cut $1 trillion from the annual budget — which is about 15% of what the government spent in 2024 — but when he left DOGE at the end of May, Musk estimated $175 billion had been sliced.
The $342 billion man did not seem to regret his stint within the Trump administration, though, joking that it was “a hell of a side quest.”
You can watch his full interview above via YouTube. His comments referenced above come at the beginning of his interview.
