Trump Taps Musk to ‘Save Trillions’ in War on Waste

AFP/APP

New York: Republican White House candidate Donald Trump unveiled a plan on Thursday to appoint tech billionaire Elon Musk to lead a government efficiency commission aimed at eliminating “trillions” of dollars in wasteful spending.

Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has become a prominent figure in U.S. politics but has faced criticism for using the social media platform Twitter, now known as X, as a platform for right-wing conspiracy theories since acquiring it in 2022.

During a speech to business executives in New York, Trump announced that Musk would oversee a “complete financial and performance audit of the entire federal government” if Trump wins a second term.

“As the first order of business, this commission will develop an action plan to totally eliminate fraud and improper payments within six months. This will save trillions of dollars,” Trump said.

The former president is engaged in a tight election race against Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris, who has been outlining her own economic vision ahead of a high-stakes televised presidential debate between the two on Tuesday.

Trump’s previous administration saw an $8.2 trillion increase in the national debt, nearly double the increase under President Joe Biden. He has not detailed any specific savings targets, and experts remain skeptical about the feasibility of the proposed savings.