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Who Is James Fishback? DOGE Architect Quits Initiative After Musk-Trump Row
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Fishback, the key figure behind the 'DOGE checks' initiative, has announced his departure from the project
James Fishback, the key figure behind the 'DOGE checks" initiative, has announced his departure from the project, citing billionaire Elon Musk's criticism of US President Donald Trump as the reason.
In a lengthy post on X Saturday, Fishback said he was 'disappointed" by Musk's behaviour and demanded an apology to Trump and his family. He wrote, 'I believed in Elon Musk's vision to shrink government and make it work better for Americans. I'm proud of the DOGE Dividend proposal I developed and will keep working with the administration to return savings to taxpayers."
I believed in Elon Musk's vision to shrink government and make it work better for Americans. I'm proud of the DOGE Dividend proposal I developed and will keep working with the administration to return savings to truth is that Elon set expectations that he relayed…
— James Fishback (@j_fishback) June 6, 2025
He also expressed concern over Musk's actions, stating, 'Elon set expectations that he relayed to the President, me, and the country that he did not come close to fulfilling. That's disappointing, but okay. What's not okay is his baseless personal attacks against President Trump."
Calling Trump a 'once-in-a-century leader," Fishback praised the US president's leadership and patience, especially in light of Musk's public comments.
'It's time for Elon to apologize to the President and his family, cool off, and get back to work on inventing the future at Tesla and SpaceX," he added.
Who Is James Fishback?
Fishback is also known for founding Incubate Debate, the fastest-growing high school debate league in the US. A former national debate champion himself, he launched the initiative in 2019.
The idea for the 'DOGE Dividend" reportedly came to him in a dream. He had told Newsweek that he quickly drafted the concept with Azoria's head of research. Although he never officially joined the DOGE project, the proposal was endorsed by Musk and gained interest from Trump, who supported the idea of a citizen dividend scheme.
