Elon Musk Brands Himself DOGE’s ‘Buddha’ as He Preps WH Exit: ‘DOGE Is a Way of Life!’
Billionaire tech mogul and Trump bulldog Elon Musk branded himself the “Buddha” of federal cost-cutting, philosophically praising the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) mission as a “way of life” as he prepares to wind down his Washington presence.
“DOGE is a way of life, like Buddhism,” Musk declared in a Wednesday interview at the White House. “Buddha isn’t alive anymore. You wouldn’t ask the question: ‘Who would lead Buddhism?'”
That Zen metaphor landed during what reportedly played like a de facto exit interview with Axios and other reporters inside the Roosevelt Room, after Musk confirmed his plans to step back from DOGE to refocus on his business empire — including Tesla, which is still reeling from plummeting profits.
Musk says DOGE, originally slated to sunset in 2026, may now stretch through President Donald Trump’s full term, pending the president’s approval.
“I think so,” he said. “It’s up to the president.”
He continued: “There’s a long way to go. It’s pretty difficult … It’s like: How much pain is the cabinet and Congress willing to take? It can be done. But it requires dealing with a lot of complaints.”
Despite its bold ambition to slash $2 trillion in federal spending, DOGE has so far only carved out $160 billion and laid off about 1% of the federal workforce. Critics, including ousted federal employees, call it chaos disguised as reform. Musk offered a characteristically blunt defense: “I think we’re probably getting things right 70–80% of the time.”
Still, he admits the job hasn’t been “super fun,” citing attacks on Tesla dealerships and persistent threats.
“Seeing cars on fire is not fun,” he said.
Musk also revealed he’s advised the Pentagon on hypersonic weapons and sometimes works from a windowless West Wing closet with a “view of nothing.”
“It has a view of nothing,” he said. “It has a window but all you see is the HVAC unit, which is fine. It makes it harder to shoot me, I guess. There’s not a good line of sight.”
