 "How long can Musk work with Trump? He says ‘as long as I’m helpful’")
US billionaire Elon Musk said in an interview he would work with President Donald Trump for as long as he is ‘helpful’. He was asked whether he is expected to work with the Trump administration for the full four-year term.
“I’ll be as helpful as long as I can be helpful,” Musk said in a Fox News interview, alongside the American president, as the duo dismissed allegations of conflict of interest with the Tesla boss working with the White House.
Musk is leading the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in coordination with the Trump administration, aimed at cutting government spending and downsizing the bureaucracy. Thanks to massive influence and sway enjoyed by him, Musk has been able to restructure, dismantle and disrupt federal agencies.
Allegations of conflict of interest
Musk’s rampage against federal agencies, some of whom oversee and regulate the billionaire’s vast business empire, has prompted concerns regarding conflict of interest.
In the Fox interview, Trump dismissed the concerns, saying that if there had been any conflict, he would have stopped it.
“If there’s any conflict, he will stop it. But if he didn’t, I’d stop it. I’d see if there’s a conflict,” Trump said. “We’re talking about big stuff, but he’s under a pretty big microscope. I mean, everybody’s watching him,” the US president added.
“If there’s a conflict, you’re going to be reading about it within about two minutes after the conflict,” he said.
In the same interview, Trump praised Musk saying he was “brilliant,” “honest” and a “very good, solid businessman.”
Quick Reads
View AllThis comes even as the White House earlier said Musk is not an official employee of Doge and has “no formal authority to make government decisions.”
Earlier on Tuesday (February 18), Trump said at Mar-a-Lago that Musk was a “patriot”.
“So you know, you could call him an employee, you can call him a consultant. You can call him whatever you want. But he’s a patriot,” said the US president.
Musk vows transparency
The Tesla boss and top Trump ally said all of his actions taken under Doge were fully publicised and were available on the website.
“The possibility of me getting away with something is zero percent,” Musk said. “I’m scrutinised to a ridiculous degree.”
(With inputs from agencies)
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