Donald Trump hat es offiziell gemacht: In seiner nächsten Amtszeit soll Elon Musk eine Position bekommen. Der reichste Mensch der Welt soll ein neues Beratungsgremium führen, um die Staatsausgaben zu reduzieren. Dieses „Department of Government Efficiency“ soll dabei helfen, „die Regierungsbürokratie zu zerlegen“, kündigte Trump am Dienstagabend in einer Mitteilung an. Dazu solle es gehören, unnötige Ausgaben und überflüssige Regulierungen zu eliminieren. Musk sagte: „Das wird Schockwellen durch das System senden.“
Das Gremium soll nicht Teil der Regierung sein, aber mit dem Weißen Haus zusammenarbeiten. Musk soll es zusammen mit Vivek Ramaswamy führen, einem Unternehmer, der sich zeitweise auch um die Kandidatur der Republikanischen Partei für die jüngsten Präsidentenwahlen beworben hatte und nach seinem Rückzug aus dem Rennen zu einem treuen Gefolgsmann von Trump geworden ist.
An der Spitze dieser Spar-Institution sollen also zwei Milliardäre stehen. Die Zeitschrift „Forbes“ beziffert Musks Vermögen auf 308 Milliarden Dollar, Ramaswamys Reichtum wird auf eine Milliarde Dollar geschätzt.
No official authority
In his announcement, Trump emphasized that the new body should provide “advice and recommendations for action from outside the government.” This construction may have been chosen because an official government position would not be easily compatible with Musk's corporate empire, which includes companies such as the electric car manufacturer Tesla, the space specialist SpaceX and the Platform X, due to ethical guidelines. So Musk probably wouldn't become an official government employee.
But even in a formally outsourced instance, Musk's task brings with it huge conflicts of interest. The “government bureaucracy” that Trump wants to dismantle includes authorities that give his companies contracts and that regulate them. SpaceX, for example, has received billions in orders from the space agency NASA, and Tesla benefits from government incentives to buy electric cars. Musk has also often clashed with regulators, accusing them of being overly strict. His new role under Trump could put him in a position to influence these authorities in his interests.
Musk's possible role at the head of an efficiency authority has been discussed for months. Musk suggested himself to Trump for such a task in the summer, and Trump immediately welcomed the idea. He has said that Musk could become a kind of “cost-cutting minister” in this role.
Meaningful naming
In his statement on Tuesday, Trump described the new body's mission as “rooting out massive waste and fraud” in government. It should deliver “structural reform on a large scale” and establish “an unprecedented entrepreneurial approach” in government. “The Manhattan Project of our time,” said Trump, referring to the nuclear research program in the 1940s. The abbreviation of the new institution – “DOGE” for “Department of Government Efficiency” – also stands for a digital currency often promoted by Musk.
Trump added symbolism to his announcement by saying the panel's work should be completed no later than July 4, 2026. This is the 250th anniversary of the American Declaration of Independence. A more efficient government will be “the perfect gift” for this occasion.
Musk has been Trump's most prominent supporter in the election campaign in recent months. He first explicitly sided with Trump in July and has since mobilized significant resources to help him. He founded a political action committee that campaigned for Trump and endowed it with hundreds of millions of dollars. He also appeared at rallies with Trump several times.
He also used his Platform X to promote Trump and attack his opponent Kamala Harris.
At a rally with Trump in New York in October, Musk spoke more specifically about his goals for a new “efficiency authority.” He said he could cut the government's $6.5 trillion annual budget by at least $2 trillion. Vivek Ramaswamy, his partner in the new project, promised on Tuesday: “We will not go soft.”
