Musk talks about Trump administration in CBS interview — despite asking to avoid the subject

The Hill

2 days ago

Elon Musk offered his opinion on the Trump administration in an interview shortly after he departed from the White House, despite initially saying he only wanted to talk about 'spaceships,' rather than 'presidential policy.'
In an interview with 'CBS Sunday Morning,' the former Trump adviser told CBS Correspondent David Pogue that he only wanted to talk about 'spaceships' when asked about the recent crackdown on foreign student visas, with Pogue mentioning Musk was one of those students at one time.
'I mean, I think we wanna stick to, you know, the subject of the day, which is, like, spaceships, as opposed to, you know, presidential policy,' Musk said.
'Oh, okay,' Pogue said. 'I was told anything is good, but-'
'No, well—no,' Musk replied.
Pogue followed up by asking Musk about DOGE and its impact on Tesla, of which Musk is the CEO. Last month, Tesla reported a 71 percent drop in earnings before Musk announced he would be stepping back from DOGE.
Musk said what was 'starting to happen' was a bit unfair,' adding that DOGE 'became the whipping boy for everything.'
'If there was some cut, real or imagined, everyone would blame DOGE,' he continued. 'I've had people think that, like, somehow, DOGE is gonna stop them from getting their Social Security check, which is completely untrue.'
Musk added that he's a 'proponent of smaller government, not bigger government.'
Musk, without being asked about the Trump administration, went on to say that 'it's not like I agree with everything the administration does.'
'I mean, I agree with much of what the administration does. But we have differences of opinion,' Musk continued. 'You know, 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. So 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 left his role at the White House last week due to the time limit on his status as a special government employee expiring.
Upon first entering his role in the White House, Musk talked grand ambitions of slashing federal spending and chipping away at the U.S. debt.
However, after months of service, Musk has grown increasingly critical of the president's fiscal policies as his own efforts fell short.