While the internet has joked Elon Musk is the 'real' president of the United States, Donald Trump has revealed exactly what the tech mogul's responsibilities are for the federal government.
The pair had a bit of a rocky start to their friendship but grew closer over Trump's campaign trial in 2024 which has ultimately bagged the billionaire tech aficionado a cosy spot as a special government employee in the Department for Government Efficiency (DOGE).
The department is tasked with cutting government costs, modernizing federal technology, ending fraud and a waste of taxpayer money while improving overall governmental productivity.
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For instance, an audit revealed the Air Force spent more than $1,200 replacing 25 reheatable coffee cups, per cup.
Still, Musk's position has sparked somewhat of a controversy with the internet creating memes depicting Musk as the 'president' and Trump the 'vice president' as some critics question who is really running the country, claiming they never voted for Musk.
Now, in an exclusive interview with Sean Hannity on Fox News on Tuesday (February 18), the pair talked about their friendship and exactly what Musk does for the federal government.
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The Tesla CEO initially said he was just 'tech support' for the president, even going so far as to don a black-and-white t-shirt with the phrase emblazoned on, but the 78-year-old president clarified that Musk's job is to take on the bureaucratic process and 'get it done'.
As we know, Trump is clearly a big fan of executive orders, having signed dozens in a matter of days into his presidency, but suggested there has been a lag in how they're adopted - until Musk streamlined the process 'with his 100 geniuses'.
In actuality, new White House documents reveal Musk, who is working for free in the department, isn't technically part of it all, merely acquiring the title 'senior advisor to the president' which has 'no actual or formal authority to make government decisions himself', reports AP.
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Essentially, he's not the key-decision-maker at DOGE that Trump made him out to be.
Still, the president also joked in the Fox interview that he picked Musk as his go-to man because he 'couldn't find anyone smarter', going so far as to say the team even tried to find someone more intelligent than the SpaceX founder to no avail.
The pally interview also saw the duo compliment each other to the point Hannity said he felt he was 'interviewing two brothers'.
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So far, DOGE has cut billions in contracts to private firms that were awarded by the Education Department and the National Institutes of Health, which sits in harmony with Trump's vision to end diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs.
Musk also said: "I'm a technologist, and I try to make technologies that improve the world."
"My t-shirt says tech support, because I'm here to provide the president with technology support," he continued. "And now that may seem like, well, is that a silly thing? But actually it's a very important thing, because the president will make these executive orders, which are very sensible and good for the country, but then they don't get implemented."
Elsewhere, Musk added: "I love the president. I think President Trump is a good man."
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Trump also praised Musk, describing him as a 'leader' and a 'brilliant guy'.
"He's got tremendous imagination," Trump continued. "But he's also a good person. He's a very good person."
Topics: Elon Musk, Donald Trump, Politics, US News, Technology
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