Only 30% of Americans approve of Elon Musk-led DOGE, new poll finds
Mizy Clifton
Fri, January 24, 2025
SEMAFOR
The News
Only about 3 in 10 US adults strongly or somewhat approve of US President Donald Trump’s new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by his ally Elon Musk, according to an Associated Press/NORC poll published Friday.
While most Americans believe the federal bureaucracy is plagued with problems and in need of an overhaul, the poll suggested that many did not believe the tech billionaire was the right person to lead the effort.
The poll was conducted before Vivek Ramaswamy, who was set to oversee DOGE with Musk, departed from the group amid reported tensions with the Tesla CEO.
Only around one-third of Americans have a positive view of Musk, the poll found, with 60% saying it is a “very or somewhat bad” idea for the president to rely on billionaires for advice on government policy.
A Wall Street Journal poll released ahead of Trump’s inauguration showed that half of those surveyed thought it was bad idea for Musk to be Trump’s adviser
Fri, January 24, 2025
SEMAFOR
The News
Only about 3 in 10 US adults strongly or somewhat approve of US President Donald Trump’s new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by his ally Elon Musk, according to an Associated Press/NORC poll published Friday.
While most Americans believe the federal bureaucracy is plagued with problems and in need of an overhaul, the poll suggested that many did not believe the tech billionaire was the right person to lead the effort.
The poll was conducted before Vivek Ramaswamy, who was set to oversee DOGE with Musk, departed from the group amid reported tensions with the Tesla CEO.
Only around one-third of Americans have a positive view of Musk, the poll found, with 60% saying it is a “very or somewhat bad” idea for the president to rely on billionaires for advice on government policy.
A Wall Street Journal poll released ahead of Trump’s inauguration showed that half of those surveyed thought it was bad idea for Musk to be Trump’s adviser
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Alice Tecotzky
Fri, January 24, 2025
DOGE announces results from its first 80 hours of work — and it's way behind schedule
The Department of Government Efficiency said it cancelled $420 million in contracts in 80 hours.
If true, that puts DOGE on track to cut about $67 billion per year — 3% of Musk's original goal.
Elon Musk, who is leading the group, has a known love of the number 420.
Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency announced Friday in a post on X that in 80 hours, it had cancelled approximately $420 million worth of current or impending government contracts, as well as two leases.
According to Business Insider's calculations, that amounts to cancelling about $126 million worth of contracts per day. If the group works at that pace all of the 530 days between January 20, 2025, and DOGE's target end date of July 4, 2026, it would cancel around $67 billion in contracts each year. That would end up being about 3% of Musk's original goal of slashing $2 trillion from the federal budget, or 7% of his pared-down goal of $1 trillion.
Of course, DOGE's early activity is no guarantee of what's to come, especially given how quickly things are changing at the group and how much remains unknown about its organization. On his first day back in office, President Donald Trump signed an executive order bringing DOGE inside the White House and laying out how its employees will embed in federal agencies. The group still can't change the federal budget without Congress.
In its post on Friday, DOGE says most of the focus has been on DEI contracts and empty buildings. There are no further details on X or DOGE's website about the cancellations, and there's no way currently to verify the information. Musk, Trump, a spokesperson for DOGE, and the General Services Administration, which leases most government buildings, did not immediately respond to BI's request for comment.
DOGE's early cost-cutting is notable in its specifics, too: Musk has a demonstrated affection for the number 420, a reference to marijuana.
In 2018, he proposed taking Tesla private at $420 per share, an idea that eventually landed him in legal hot water with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Later that year, he smoked a joint on camera with Joe Rogan and changed his then-Twitter bio to "420." On April 20, 2023 — or 4/20, the unofficial holiday of weed — his company SpaceX launched a rocket. And in October of that year, Musk bought Twitter at $54.20 a share (take a look at last three numbers of that price).
Weed references aside, DOGE's post on X echoes its initial mission as a cost-cutting and deregulatory group, despite recent changes to its stated goals. In his executive order, Trump redefined DOGE's purpose as updating the government's software and IT systems, though the group hasn't stopped taking aim at what it sees as wasteful spending.
'Everyone wants him out': How Musk helped boot Ramaswamy from DOGE
Adam Wren and Holly Otterbein
Mon, January 20, 2025
Adam Wren and Holly Otterbein
Mon, January 20, 2025
POLITICO EU
Elon Musk has already achieved his first cut at the so-called Department of Government Efficiency: his co-leader Vivek Ramaswamy.
Musk, the tech tycoon and Donald Trump confidant, made it known that he wanted Ramaswamy out of DOGE in recent days, according to three people familiar with Musk’s preferences who, like others for this article, were granted anonymity to discuss them. An ill-received holiday rant on X by Ramaswamy about H-1B visas apparently hastened his demise.
Just 69 days after Trump announced the team, Ramaswamy is now leaving DOGE and planning to announce a run for Ohio governor next week. Musk’s ability to ice out Ramaswamy, who for a variety of reasons had irked some Republicans in Trump’s circle, is the latest sign of his influence in the incoming administration. And it presages an encore of all of the infighting that marked Trump’s first term
Ramaswamy “just burned through the bridges and he finally burned Elon,” said a Republican strategist close to Trump advisers. "Everyone wants him out of Mar-a-Lago, out of D.C.”
One main reason for some Republicans’ frustration with Ramaswamy was a post he made on X during a discussion of H-1B visas. In late December, Ramaswamy criticized American culture, saying that tech companies hire foreign workers in part because of a mindset in the country that has “venerated mediocrity over excellence.”
“They wanted him out before the tweet — but kicked him to the curb when that came out,” said one of the three people familiar with his departure.
A person close to DOGE said Musk did not think it was feasible for him to campaign for office while working on DOGE.
In a statement, Trump transition spokesperson Anna Kelly praised Ramaswamy, saying he “played a critical role in helping us create DOGE” and that his plan to run for governor “requires him to remain outside of DOGE based on the structure that we announced today.”
Ramaswamy maintained to confidants as late as Saturday evening that he was actively involved in DOGE, saying he was at work writing executive orders, according to six people who had spoken with him. But a person familiar with the arrangement said he had done almost no DOGE-related work since early December.
As recently as last week, Ramaswamy was hoping to achieve some early wins at DOGE before leaving to pursue a gubernatorial bid.
Now Ramaswamy and his allies are laboring to put a positive spin on his departure, coming just as Trump takes office.
More in Politics
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Ramaswamy declined to comment about perceived tensions with Musk.
A person familiar with Ramaswamy’s thinking said they are now on good terms and that “the reality is that it wasn’t possible” to run for governor and co-lead DOGE “both at once.”
Even Hill Republicans have joined the Ramaswamy bashing. A cheeky meme portraying Musk erasing Ramaswamy from history was privately shared by junior staff in House Speaker Mike Johnson’s office, a person familiar with the meme said. It depicted Musk as Josef Stalin and Ramaswamy as the chief of the Soviet secret police who was later executed and removed from photos.
A spokesperson for Johnson’s office denied the account.
Just last week, Ramaswamy was passed over by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine in his pick for Ohio’s Senate seat, after Ramaswamy mounted a late lobbying blitz for the seat.
At a rally Sunday, Trump talked about DOGE and did not indicate that any changes were imminent. He said, "We have [Musk] and Vivek and some great people working on a thing called costs.”
Ramaswamy attended Trump’s inauguration, where he spoke to Susie Wiles, Trump’s chief of staff.
On Monday morning, Ramaswamy posted a photo of himself with Musk shaking hands.
“A new dawn,” he wrote.
But he was already on his way out. That same day, a person close to Ramaswamy who was granted anonymity to speak freely confirmed Ramaswamy was leaving.
Elon Musk has already achieved his first cut at the so-called Department of Government Efficiency: his co-leader Vivek Ramaswamy.
Musk, the tech tycoon and Donald Trump confidant, made it known that he wanted Ramaswamy out of DOGE in recent days, according to three people familiar with Musk’s preferences who, like others for this article, were granted anonymity to discuss them. An ill-received holiday rant on X by Ramaswamy about H-1B visas apparently hastened his demise.
Just 69 days after Trump announced the team, Ramaswamy is now leaving DOGE and planning to announce a run for Ohio governor next week. Musk’s ability to ice out Ramaswamy, who for a variety of reasons had irked some Republicans in Trump’s circle, is the latest sign of his influence in the incoming administration. And it presages an encore of all of the infighting that marked Trump’s first term
Ramaswamy “just burned through the bridges and he finally burned Elon,” said a Republican strategist close to Trump advisers. "Everyone wants him out of Mar-a-Lago, out of D.C.”
One main reason for some Republicans’ frustration with Ramaswamy was a post he made on X during a discussion of H-1B visas. In late December, Ramaswamy criticized American culture, saying that tech companies hire foreign workers in part because of a mindset in the country that has “venerated mediocrity over excellence.”
“They wanted him out before the tweet — but kicked him to the curb when that came out,” said one of the three people familiar with his departure.
A person close to DOGE said Musk did not think it was feasible for him to campaign for office while working on DOGE.
In a statement, Trump transition spokesperson Anna Kelly praised Ramaswamy, saying he “played a critical role in helping us create DOGE” and that his plan to run for governor “requires him to remain outside of DOGE based on the structure that we announced today.”
Ramaswamy maintained to confidants as late as Saturday evening that he was actively involved in DOGE, saying he was at work writing executive orders, according to six people who had spoken with him. But a person familiar with the arrangement said he had done almost no DOGE-related work since early December.
As recently as last week, Ramaswamy was hoping to achieve some early wins at DOGE before leaving to pursue a gubernatorial bid.
Now Ramaswamy and his allies are laboring to put a positive spin on his departure, coming just as Trump takes office.
More in Politics
Charlamagne tha God Jokes He’ll Miss AOC When She’s ‘Deported to Nicaragua’ After Refusing to Attend Trump Inauguration | Video
The Wrap
Ramaswamy declined to comment about perceived tensions with Musk.
A person familiar with Ramaswamy’s thinking said they are now on good terms and that “the reality is that it wasn’t possible” to run for governor and co-lead DOGE “both at once.”
Even Hill Republicans have joined the Ramaswamy bashing. A cheeky meme portraying Musk erasing Ramaswamy from history was privately shared by junior staff in House Speaker Mike Johnson’s office, a person familiar with the meme said. It depicted Musk as Josef Stalin and Ramaswamy as the chief of the Soviet secret police who was later executed and removed from photos.
A spokesperson for Johnson’s office denied the account.
Just last week, Ramaswamy was passed over by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine in his pick for Ohio’s Senate seat, after Ramaswamy mounted a late lobbying blitz for the seat.
At a rally Sunday, Trump talked about DOGE and did not indicate that any changes were imminent. He said, "We have [Musk] and Vivek and some great people working on a thing called costs.”
Ramaswamy attended Trump’s inauguration, where he spoke to Susie Wiles, Trump’s chief of staff.
On Monday morning, Ramaswamy posted a photo of himself with Musk shaking hands.
“A new dawn,” he wrote.
But he was already on his way out. That same day, a person close to Ramaswamy who was granted anonymity to speak freely confirmed Ramaswamy was leaving.
Bill Gates admits many government agencies need budget slashed by 15% - but rejects Musk DOGE’s widespread cuts
Gustaf Kilander
Sat, January 25, 2025
Bill Gates speaks at the pledge session of the 2024 World Health Summit in 2014. In a new interview, he said he can see 15 percent cuts to many government agencies, but doesn’t want groups closed down (Getty Images)
Bill Gates said in a wide-ranging interview with The Wall Street Journal that many government departments can cut 10 to 15 percent of their budgets while cautioning against getting rid of entire groups.
Gates was asked about the shift in Silicon Valley from the focus on tech nerds to tech bros. Industry leaders have made clear that they want to be in President Donald Trump’s good graces, with Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Apple CEO Tim Cook and Google CEO Sundar Pichai all attending Trump’s inauguration on Monday.
“Well, I think they’re still nerds. As I can tell, they don’t deserve some new term, Jesus. They’re just as nerdy as they ever were,” said Gates.
“Early in the days of Microsoft, I didn’t believe in having an office in Washington, D.C. I later learned that was a mistake. I had kind of a purest view that I didn’t need to engage in talking to the government,” he added
One of those “bros” or ‘nerds’ is Musk - who was tapped to lead the Department of Government Efficiency, aka DOGE, and has become part of Trump’s inner circle.
Gates hasn’t spoken directly to Musk for about 18 months and said he “admires a lot of the great work he’s done.”
“I think the idea that looking at government expenditures on a sort of zero-based budgeting approach could be a valuable thing,” he added. “I’m amongst the people who think the deficit needs to be brought down because otherwise, it will create a financial problem for us.”
Musk has suggested, and subsequently backtracked, that he would find cuts in the federal budget worth $2 trillion.
Gates was asked where he would look to make savings were he to be put in charge of DOGE.
“Given the numbers that they’ve tossed around, they’ll have to look at everything, including pension, defense, health care,” said Gates. “My view is most departments, there probably are, 10 to 15 percent.”
“I do worry a little bit that if you say, ‘Hey, let’s completely get rid of things, some of the things that have long-term benefits,” he added. “I obviously believe in HIV medicines, where the U.S. is keeping tens of millions of people alive. And if you cut those off, not only would they die when we have a cure on its way, but you’d have negative feelings … in parts of Africa.”
Gates argued that it “would be worse than never having done the thing at all.”
The billionaire said he was surprised by Musk’s obsession with some European politicians — he has frequently criticized U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and recently spoke to Alice Weidel, the chancellor candidate for the far-right party Alternative for Germany.
“He finds time to do a lot of things,” said Gates.
Gates told The Journal that he recently spoke to French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, but added that they’re “on their own” when it comes to how to handle Trump.
Musk has said he can find deep cuts in govenrment, but has softened his tone on how money he thinks he can save (AP)
Gates himself has been no stranger to Trump and even met with him during the transition process. He told the paper that he recently had an “intriguing” three-hour dinner with Trump and his chief of staff Susie Wiles.
The billionaire said he asked Trump if the hunt for a cure for HIV could receive a similar boost that vaccine innovation received during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We both got, I think, pretty excited about that,” said Gates. They also spoke about the work to eliminate polio.
“He was fascinated to hear what he could do to maximize the chance that during the next four years, that incredible milestone will be achieved,” the 69-year-old said. “I felt like he was energized and looking forward to helping to drive innovation. I was frankly impressed with how he showed a lot of interest in the issues I brought up.”
Gates donated $50 million to a pro-Kamala Harris super PAC before the election but didn’t directly endorse the then-Vice President and Democratic nominee, citing his need to have a good relationship with every U.S. administration in his work with the Gates Foundation.
Gates spoke on numerous topics during the interview and said he probably would have been placed on the autism spectrum had he been a child today. (REUTERS)
The interview with the Journal hit on countless other topics. The Microsoft founder also spoke about how he probably would have been placed on the autism spectrum had he been a child today.
“It used to be autism had a fairly narrow definition that was clearly identifiable. But this idea that if you’re slow at socializing, you know, I have a behavior where I rock that bothers people, but that’s also common, so-called self-stimming … So I realized, ‘wow, there’s a bit of a pattern match there,’” Gates told The Journal.
“I didn’t behave in a standard way, and yet, you know, that deep concentration that got applied to math and science and eventually to all those programming experiences I had ... became a strength,” he added.
.Gustaf Kilander
Sat, January 25, 2025
Bill Gates speaks at the pledge session of the 2024 World Health Summit in 2014. In a new interview, he said he can see 15 percent cuts to many government agencies, but doesn’t want groups closed down (Getty Images)
Bill Gates said in a wide-ranging interview with The Wall Street Journal that many government departments can cut 10 to 15 percent of their budgets while cautioning against getting rid of entire groups.
Gates was asked about the shift in Silicon Valley from the focus on tech nerds to tech bros. Industry leaders have made clear that they want to be in President Donald Trump’s good graces, with Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Apple CEO Tim Cook and Google CEO Sundar Pichai all attending Trump’s inauguration on Monday.
“Well, I think they’re still nerds. As I can tell, they don’t deserve some new term, Jesus. They’re just as nerdy as they ever were,” said Gates.
“Early in the days of Microsoft, I didn’t believe in having an office in Washington, D.C. I later learned that was a mistake. I had kind of a purest view that I didn’t need to engage in talking to the government,” he added
One of those “bros” or ‘nerds’ is Musk - who was tapped to lead the Department of Government Efficiency, aka DOGE, and has become part of Trump’s inner circle.
Gates hasn’t spoken directly to Musk for about 18 months and said he “admires a lot of the great work he’s done.”
“I think the idea that looking at government expenditures on a sort of zero-based budgeting approach could be a valuable thing,” he added. “I’m amongst the people who think the deficit needs to be brought down because otherwise, it will create a financial problem for us.”
Musk has suggested, and subsequently backtracked, that he would find cuts in the federal budget worth $2 trillion.
Gates was asked where he would look to make savings were he to be put in charge of DOGE.
“Given the numbers that they’ve tossed around, they’ll have to look at everything, including pension, defense, health care,” said Gates. “My view is most departments, there probably are, 10 to 15 percent.”
“I do worry a little bit that if you say, ‘Hey, let’s completely get rid of things, some of the things that have long-term benefits,” he added. “I obviously believe in HIV medicines, where the U.S. is keeping tens of millions of people alive. And if you cut those off, not only would they die when we have a cure on its way, but you’d have negative feelings … in parts of Africa.”
Gates argued that it “would be worse than never having done the thing at all.”
The billionaire said he was surprised by Musk’s obsession with some European politicians — he has frequently criticized U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and recently spoke to Alice Weidel, the chancellor candidate for the far-right party Alternative for Germany.
“He finds time to do a lot of things,” said Gates.
Gates told The Journal that he recently spoke to French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, but added that they’re “on their own” when it comes to how to handle Trump.
Musk has said he can find deep cuts in govenrment, but has softened his tone on how money he thinks he can save (AP)
Gates himself has been no stranger to Trump and even met with him during the transition process. He told the paper that he recently had an “intriguing” three-hour dinner with Trump and his chief of staff Susie Wiles.
The billionaire said he asked Trump if the hunt for a cure for HIV could receive a similar boost that vaccine innovation received during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We both got, I think, pretty excited about that,” said Gates. They also spoke about the work to eliminate polio.
“He was fascinated to hear what he could do to maximize the chance that during the next four years, that incredible milestone will be achieved,” the 69-year-old said. “I felt like he was energized and looking forward to helping to drive innovation. I was frankly impressed with how he showed a lot of interest in the issues I brought up.”
Gates donated $50 million to a pro-Kamala Harris super PAC before the election but didn’t directly endorse the then-Vice President and Democratic nominee, citing his need to have a good relationship with every U.S. administration in his work with the Gates Foundation.
Gates spoke on numerous topics during the interview and said he probably would have been placed on the autism spectrum had he been a child today. (REUTERS)
The interview with the Journal hit on countless other topics. The Microsoft founder also spoke about how he probably would have been placed on the autism spectrum had he been a child today.
“It used to be autism had a fairly narrow definition that was clearly identifiable. But this idea that if you’re slow at socializing, you know, I have a behavior where I rock that bothers people, but that’s also common, so-called self-stimming … So I realized, ‘wow, there’s a bit of a pattern match there,’” Gates told The Journal.
“I didn’t behave in a standard way, and yet, you know, that deep concentration that got applied to math and science and eventually to all those programming experiences I had ... became a strength,” he added.
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