Elon Musk Discusses Tesla Woes, Government Waste, and DOGE Expansion in Wide-Ranging Interview

Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) CEO Elon Musk shared insights on Tesla’s struggles, government waste, and DOGE in a candid interview with Fox Business host Larry Kudlow.

Addressing X's outage, Musk attributed the disruption to IP addresses from Ukraine. He also commented on Tesla’s stock decline and ongoing protests, stating, “It is tough sledding, but I think we are doing the right thing.”

Musk criticized massive government waste, referencing a Government Accountability Office report estimating $500 billion in fraud. He vowed to cut costs for taxpayers and called the bureaucracy an obstacle to policy execution. Musk also claimed that interest payments on U.S. national debt now surpass the national security budget, warning that without intervention, “we would just be servicing debt.”

On DOGE, Musk revealed his team has grown to 100 people and will double to 200. When asked about strategy, he bluntly stated, “We follow the money,” pointing to USAID funds flowing into NGOs, which he called a “fraud loophole.”

Musk also took aim at entitlement programs, suggesting that cutting waste could save $500-700 billion annually. He alleged Democrats use these programs to attract and convert illegal immigrants into voters, fueling political tensions.

Pressed on his business operations, Musk admitted he is managing them “with great difficulty.” However, he remains confident that DOGE could generate $1 trillion in savings, “unless we are stopped.”

Finally, Musk reassured the public regarding stranded astronauts, promising, “We are going to get them back in a few weeks.”