The president-elect of the United States, Donald Trump, announced this Tuesday that he commissioned Elon Musk, owner of Tesla and currently the richest man in the world, who lead alongside former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy a new Department of Government Efficiency.
“Together, these two wonderful Americans will pave the way for my Administration to dismantle government bureaucracy, reduce overregulation, reduce wasteful spending, and restructure federal agencies – essential to the ‘Save America’ movement,” Trump said. in a statement.
“Threat to democracy? No. Threat to bureaucracy”Musk reacted by saying on his social network X, as soon as the news was heard.
To which he later added that all the actions of the new department will be published on the internet, so that “transparency is maximum.”
“We will not do things gently,” Ramaswamy warned on the same social network.
The Department of Government Efficiency will be known by the abbreviation Doge, according to Trump, an apparent reference to the Dogecoin cryptocurrency, which Musk has supported, calling it “the people’s cryptocurrency.”
Musk donated $200 million to Trump’s campaign and he was one of his main public supporters facing the presidential elections.
For his part, Ramaswamy faced Trump for the Republican nomination during the primary elections, later becoming one of the strongest supporters.
“A business approach to government”
According to Trump, Musk and Ramaswamy will be given the authority to make radical changes to public spending.
“It will potentially become the Manhattan Project of our time,” said the president-elect, referring to the US program to develop the first atomic bomb.
It’s unclear exactly what form this new department will take, but it appears it will be outside formal government structures.
“The Department of Government Efficiency will provide advice and guidance from outside the government,” the statement says, with the goal of “creating a business approach to government never seen before.”
Trump assured that the new entity should conclude its work before July 4, 2026, US Independence Day.
Musk’s key support
Musk – who previously cultivated an image as an eccentric technological genius who was on the fringes of politics – gave his full support to Trump’s campaign after he survived an attempt on his life during a campaign event in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13.
In full view of the American public, the 53-year-old South African tycoon invested his time, operational knowledge and deep pockets to get the Republican elected, a rarity among the US business elite, which traditionally prefers to influence politics. behind the scenes.
As one of the president-elect’s most important sponsors, The tech billionaire donated tens of millions of dollars to fund a Super PAC aimed at re-electing Trump.
He also spent the final weeks leading up to Election Day running a campaign to mobilize voters in battleground states, including deliver a million dollars a day to the citizens of those territories who registered to vote.
The prize, which was awarded through a raffle, became the subject of a legal challenge, which was later dismissed by a judge.
Since Trump won the election, shares in Musk’s companies have skyrocketed, further increasing his wealth.
According to some analysts, his close relationship with Trump could present a complex conflict of interest, given the billions of dollars in government contracts that SpaceX and Tesla, companies owned by Musk, have received and could receive.
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