Elon Musk said he “got carried away” and became “a little too involved in politics” while heading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) under President Donald Trump, according to an interview published Thursday by The Economist.
During his time serving as the unelected director of the panel, Musk oversaw widespread personnel changes and reductions in federal spending.
Over its 18-month run, DOGE operations coincided with the departure of more than 272,000 federal employees alongside substantial reductions to government grants. The effort ultimately shut down following a series of lawsuits challenging its constitutionality and alleging politically motivated actions.
In the interview, Musk defended the panel’s work, which included the dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
He pushed back against public health studies suggesting that funding cuts to the international aid agency contributed to hundreds of thousands of deaths, stating that “zero” people died as a result of the spending reductions.
“Zero,” Musk said in response to claims linking the cuts to loss of life. “Zero people died because of DOGE. Zero.”
Musk argued that external claims regarding the impact of the cuts came from organizations seeking to retain their federal backing. He described USAID as a “political organization” and “the biggest funder of regime change,” dismissing arguments about its life-saving assistance as “nonsense.”
Addressing his direct involvement in Washington political life, Musk acknowledged that his focus had shifted too heavily toward administration policy during his stint leading the efficiency effort.
“I got carried away,” Musk said, adding that he got “a little too involved in politics.”
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