Musk admits Trump ‘does things I don't entirely agree with,' opens up about DOGE scars
Tech mogul Elon Musk admitted Sunday that he doesn't always see eye to eye with President Trump but refused to specify their differences and insisted he still admires' much of what the administration does.
'It's not like I agree with everything the administration does,' Musk told 'CBS Sunday Morning.' 'So it's like, I mean, I agree with much of what the administration does. But we have differences of opinion.
'There are things that I don't entirely agree with. But it's difficult for me to bring that up in an interview because then it creates a bone of contention,' he said.
'Then I'm a little stuck in a bind where I'm like, well, I don't wanna, you know, speak up against the administration, but I also don't wanna take responsibility for everything this administration's doing.'
Musk's formal role as a special government employee wrapped up last month, and Trump welcomed him into the Oval Office on Friday for a send-off, gifting him a large key for his service.
3 Billionaire tech guru Elon Musk on Sunday admitted he has differences with President Trump but didn't specify them.
CBS News
3 Musk was given a send-off by President Trump on Friday.
AP
The two billionaires briefly reminisced about the progress they made together since Trump re-entered the White House, and the prez stressed that despite Musk's formal role winding down, 'Elon is really not leaving.'
Musk has previously said he and Trump agree on issues about '80 percent of the time' while dropping hints that he isn't fond of the president's protectionist policies, saying that he believes 'lower tariffs are generally a good idea.
'You know, tariffs always affect things a little bit,' Musk replied when 'CBS Sunday Morning' pressed him on tariffs.
Musk meanwhile ducked a question about the Trump administration's restrictions on foreign student visas.
Preview clips of Musk's interview made waves last week before the full chat aired and showed the tech baron chiding Republicans' proposed marquee One Big Beautiful Bill Act for adding to the deficit.
'I was, like, disappointed to see the massive spending bill, frankly, which increases the budget deficit, doesn't decrease it, and undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing,' Musk admitted of the measure.
3 Trump has stood by Musk amid liberal backlash against DOGE.
AP
Some estimates indicate that the mega-bill could add as much as $4 trillion to the deficit over the next 10 years, something Republicans have generally disputed or at least downplayed.
'I think a bill can be big or it can be beautiful,' Musk added with a laugh. 'But I don't know if it could be both. My personal opinion.'
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) later sent Musk a lengthy text about some of the concerns the billionaire raised in the interview and publicly outlined a plan to codify the DOGE cuts implemented thus far.
The world's richest man also opened up about the backlash he has endured for driving the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) cost-cutting.
'What was starting to happen was that, like, it's a bit unfair because, like, DOGE became the whipping boy for everything,' Musk reflected on the politics surrounding the agency.
'So if there was some cut, real or imagined, everyone would blame DOGE. I've had people think that, like, somehow DOGE is gonna stop them from getting their Social Security check, which is completely untrue,' he said.
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