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“I encourage people to look beyond the bumps and potholes of the road immediately ahead of us. Lift your gaze to the bright shining citadel on the hill — I don’t know, some Reagan-esque imagery — and that’s where we’re headed,” he said, doubling down on his long-term optimism.
Musk went even further, suggesting that the growing protests against Tesla may not be as organic as they seem. Without providing evidence, he claimed activists are being paid with “fraudulent money” by the government. “That is the real reason for the protests,” Musk asserted.
His claims surfaced just as Tesla revealed its first significant financial stumble in years. The company reported $19.3 billion in first-quarter sales—down 9% from the previous year and nearly $2 billion below Wall Street’s expectations. Tesla also acknowledged that Trump’s tariff policies are likely to impact their bottom line moving forward.
Despite this, Musk is still publicly voicing his opinions to the White House. “I’m an advocate of predictable tariff structures, and generally I’m an advocate for free trade and lower tariffs,” he said, while maintaining his respect for President Trump’s decisions. “I’m hopeful” Trump might take his input “differently in the future,” Musk added.
Earlier this month, Musk stood in the Cabinet Room alongside Trump and his top officials to make a stunning announcement: DOGE is projected to save taxpayers $150 billion in fiscal year 2026 alone.
“Thanks to your fantastic leadership, this amazing Cabinet and the very talented DOGE team, I’m excited to announce that we anticipate savings in FY 26 from reduction of waste and fraud by $150 billion,” Musk declared, according to the Daily Mail.
He didn’t mince words when describing what his team uncovered. Musk said some of the waste they found was downright absurd. “Like people getting unemployment insurance who haven’t been born yet,” he said, highlighting the rampant inefficiency plaguing federal programs.
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While the $150 billion projection is massive, it’s still far below Musk’s initial goal. He originally aimed to cut a jaw-dropping $2 trillion in federal waste. That goal has since been revised to $1 trillion—a more modest, but still extraordinary, objective.
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And even if DOGE falls short of the trillion-dollar mark, the savings already racked up are no small feat. According to the department’s website, the initiative has already returned $931 per taxpayer.
“People ask me, like, well, how are you going to find waste, fraud and abuse in the federal government? I’m like, well, actually, just go in any direction,” Musk joked in front of the president and Cabinet. “That’s how you find it. It’s very common. It’s, as military would say, a target rich environment.”
Musk gave credit where it was due, thanking each Cabinet member for their role in hunting down waste across nearly every federal agency. He reassured Americans that the cuts won’t mean fewer services—in fact, he says they’ll mean better ones.
With Musk scaling back, the question now becomes: who will pick up the torch? For now, the tech titan says he’ll keep a hand in the effort. But it’s clear that the groundwork he’s laid has shaken up Washington—and for the better.
