Elon Musk snapped at a Bloomberg journalist who questioned whether his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is actually saving the government money.
During an interview at the Qatar Economic Forum on Tuesday, Bloomberg’s Mishal Husain asked Musk to explain how DOGE plans to reach its goal of cutting $2 trillion in government waste by next year. She pointed out that Musk has claimed DOGE is saving $4 billion per day — but even at that pace, it falls short of the goal.
Musk didn’t appreciate the challenge.
“I feel you’re somewhat trapped in the NPC [nonplayer character] dialogue tree of a traditional journalist,” Musk shot back. “So it’s difficult when I’m conversing with someone who’s trapped in the dialogue tree of a conventional journalist, because it’s like talking to a computer.”
Musk defended DOGE, saying it’s only an advisory group and doesn’t have real power to enforce its recommendations — but insisted it’s still doing a great job.
“I don’t think any advisory group has done better in the history of advisory groups for the government,” Musk said. “Now, we do not make the laws, nor do we control the judiciary, nor do we control the executive branch. We are simply advisers. In that context, we’re doing very well.”
Musk, who advises President Trump in his second term, blamed resistance from inside the government. He said all three branches are “to some degree” pushing back against the deep cuts he wants.
Since Trump returned to office, DOGE has led a sweeping overhaul of the federal workforce. Hundreds of thousands of workers have been laid off or offered buyouts based on the group’s advice.
Musk claims the cuts have already saved billions — but critics say the math doesn’t add up, and some experts question whether the savings are even close to what Musk claims.
Watch the clip below:
Elon Musk: "I feel you're somewhat trapped in the NPC dialogue tree of a traditional journalist… it's like talking to a computer."pic.twitter.com/beghbi0PFY
— (news) DOGE (@DOGE__news) May 21, 2025
