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New York Post
2 days ago
- Business
- New York Post
Elon Musk says ‘my time had to end' as he leaves Trump admin — but he's not going far
WASHINGTON — Elon Musk left the White House for the last time as a special government employee Friday, telling reporters 'my time had to end' — but insisting the Department of Government Efficiency he inspired will live on. 'I'll continue to be visiting here, and be a friend and an adviser to the president,' Musk, 53, said alongside President Trump in the Oval Office, sporting a black eye that he claimed was the product of a well-placed punch from his five-year-old son, X. The South Africa-born entrepreneur also vowed 'to support the DOGE team [as] we are relentlessly pursuing a trillion dollars in waste and fraud reduction that will benefit the American taxpayer.' The Tesla and SpaceX CEO had appeared increasingly jaded as he approached the end of his 130-day tenure, telling CBS News in an interview this week he was 'disappointed' with Trump's signature One Big Beautiful Bill Act — his first public break with the president. 5 Trump shakes Musk's hand at the White House on his final day. But Musk was in a more bullish mood Friday, reaffirming that 'I'm confident that over time, we'll see a trillion dollars of savings — a trillion dollars of waste and fraud reductions.' 'The DOGE influence will only grow stronger,' he predicted. 'I liken it to a sort of Buddhism, it's like a way of life. It is permeating throughout the government.' The department's own website currently claims that DOGE has trimmed just $175 billion in government fat — and even that total has been questioned. 5 Musk said he will still be an 'adviser' to the president, and that the trillion dollar goal still remains. However, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has pledged to move ahead with making the DOGE cuts permanent when lawmakers begin the regular appropriations process in September for fiscal year 2026 — while press secretary Karoline Leavitt claimed Thursday that Trump and his cabinet members will oversee the department's ongoing work. 'Almost all of those people are staying,' Trump said of Musk's DOGE team, which is largely made up of young engineers. 'It will be really interesting to see what the final number is going to be,' the president added, predicting that the savings could add up to 'hundreds of billions' while promising to make cuts 'very surgically.' 5 Elon Musk jumps on stage as he arrives to speak at a town hall in support of Donald Trump at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania, on October 18, 2024. AFP via Getty Images 5 Musk leaves the stage holding a chainsaw after speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at the Gaylord National Resort Hotel And Convention Center on February 20, 2025 in Oxon Hill, Maryland. Getty Images Musk endorsed Trump after the Republican narrowly survived an assassination attempt during a July 13, 2024, campaign rally in Butler, Pa., and quickly became one of the president's closest confidants — listening in on calls with foreign leaders, spending time with the first family, and sitting in on critical meetings. The billionaire was entrusted to gut the government of 'fraud and waste' by eliminating unwanted programs, causing controversy due to his status as an unelected official who was not subject to Senate confirmation. Protests broke out across the country over Musk pulling the plug on organizations like the US Agency for International Development — whose key functions were transferred to the State Department — and masterminding layoffs of thousands of workers at agencies including the Department of Education and Department of Health and Human Services. 5 Elon Musk holds a 'key to the White House' given to him by President Donald Trump. AFP via Getty Images The president stood behind Musk throughout his government tenure, publicly buying a Tesla on the White House driveway in March and threatening left-wingers who vandalized the electric vehicles with up to 20 years in prison. 'He's one of the greatest business leaders and innovators the world has ever produced,' Trump said Friday of his right-hand man. 'Elon has worked tirelessly to lead the most sweeping and consequential government reform program in generations.' Musk has reaffirmed his commitment to Tesla, recently telling investors in Qatar he expects to remain as CEO for at least the next five years.
New York Post
2 days ago
- Politics
- New York Post
Douglas Murray: Putin's playbook is the same a quarter-century later — peace talks are pointless
President George W. Bush famously underestimated Vladimir Putin. Asked about his impressions of the Russian president after a brief meeting in 2001, the then-US president claimed that he had 'looked into Putin's eyes' and 'saw his soul.' It is odd that Bush imagined he had some mystical ability to divine the soul of his Russian counterpart. His secretary of state, Colin Powell, had a different reaction. Powell said that he, too, had looked into Putin's eyes 'and I saw the KGB.' Almost a quarter of a century has passed since then. US presidents have come and gone. But Putin remains, still perplexing his US counterparts. Bush found out what was behind Putin's eyes a little too late. Toward the end of Bush's second term, in 2008, Putin's Russia invaded the neighboring country of Georgia. Although Putin didn't get everything he wanted from that conflict, his brutal invasion did allow him to purge Georgians from South Ossetia and Abkhazia and install Russian forces in those regions. Lesson of history It was a relatively small war, but one that many people in the West seem to have forgotten. Ever since Putin repeated his Georgian maneuver on a much grander scale in Ukraine in 2022, there are still people who like to pretend that Ukraine is all that Vladimir Putin wants. To think this is to repeat a historic mistake. In general you can weigh up world leaders in two ways: what they say, and what they do. Putin is by turns open and sphinx-like about what he wants. Speaking to the Russian people, he can be explicit about the expansion he wants — including the reconstruction of the Soviet Empire. To others he can play a subtler game, bamboozling ignorant foreign interviewers and running rings around them. But it is by his actions that you can really know Putin. And just consider his actions lately. Russian President Vladimir Putin, listens to Akie Abe, the widow of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, during a meeting at the Kremlin, May 29, 2025, in Moscow, Russia. This week he ordered some of the largest aerial assaults to date on the people of Ukraine. President Trump, who believed that he was in the middle of a cease-fire negotiation with the Russian president, finally seemed to have lost patience. 'Absolutely crazy' was among the things that Trump labeled Putin's latest assault on his neighbor. Putin's spokesman responded by dismissing Trump's comments as 'emotional.' But Trump is right to be angry about what Putin is doing. Because at the same time as dragging out negotiations — postponing meetings, reneging on promises — he is deliberately dragging out the war that he started. Men put flowers at a new monument to former Soviet leader Joseph Stalin at Taganskaya Metro station, May 15, 2025, in Moscow, Russia. Getty Images And there are few signs that he is ready to stop that war anytime soon. In the past three years he has restructured the whole Russian economy onto a wartime footing. With arms production on overdrive and billions of dollars being spent on the wartime economy, he has few reasons to stop the war even if he wanted to. Russia is good at sitting out long conflicts, and its people are used to hardship. Compare that to the Western powers who say they want to stand up to Putin. Trump has rightly insisted that this country's European allies step up to the moment and increase their share of defense spending. He is absolutely right in that — and his pressure is already having positive results. Germany's mistake When Angela Merkel was chancellor of Germany, she made a set of catastrophic policy decisions relating to Russia. Not least was her enthusiasm for importing cheap Russian gas through the Nord Stream 2 project. Worse was that during her chancellorship, Germany's defense spending dropped to just 1% of GDP. Today, since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Germany has realized that it is going to have to step up. Under pressure from Trump, Chancellor Friedrich Merz is promising to up his country's defense spending to 5% of GDP. Which is double the baseline spending commitment expected of NATO members. But the question of when that military spending will turn into military reality is another question. In reality we might all be dead of natural causes before Germany manages to increase its arms production and army recruitment processes. Putin knows that. He knows that with a US which doesn't threaten him, and a Europe that can't get its act together, the cards are largely in his hands. It is another reason why it seems that he can afford himself little treats, as well as monumental snubs. The snubs include his repeated claims that he is committed to peace while bombing the hell out of Ukraine. The little treats include some very knowing nods to the Soviet past. This week a new monument was unveiled in the Moscow subway system. But the new statue was of an old leader. It is an ugly Soviet frieze-like monument of Joseph Stalin surrounded by statues of adoring works and children. Flowers were placed on the monument shortly after it was unveiled. The sculpture tells its own tale. It is part of a concerted effort by Putin and his regime to rehabilitate the Soviet dictator who was responsible for more deaths and misery than any other Russian leader. As well as being responsible for the deaths of millions of his own countrymen, Stalin stands out as one of the most blood-thirsty, cunning and expansionist leaders in Russian history. Among some serious competition. Dreams of empire So why would the authorities in Moscow go back to celebrating him now? Because Russia is on a war footing, and every stop is being pulled out to persuade the Russian people of the virtue of that war. Many Russians still revere Stalin — in spite of the gulags and purges — because he helped Russia get through and help win the Second World War. Putin wants to draw on those same Russian reserves. And he wants to persuade his people that his war in Ukraine is absolutely similar to Stalin's war against the Nazis. He is drawing on the deepest and darkest reserves that he can in order to keep his war in motion. It is up to the West to decide whether the darkness that Vladimir Putin draws on is something we should just observe. Or a force that we can deter.
New York Post
3 days ago
- Politics
- New York Post
DeSantis raises concerns about Trump's negotiations with Iran: ‘Hazardous'
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis voiced skepticism about President Trump's negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program, arguing that the theocratic regime can't be trusted. The Sunshine State governor warned that 'trying to cut a deal with Iran' is 'hazardous,' and emphasized that Tehran is 'not a traditional country' that can be treated in a 'traditional way.' 'I don't see them as being good faith actors and in any way, shape or form. And the reality is they cannot be allowed to enrich uranium, period. End of story,' DeSantis told conservative radio host Mark Levin. 'They are a militant Islamic government. Their view of mutual destruction with nuclear weapons is actually something they think would be fine because they think they're all going to go to heaven in paradise if that happens.' Earlier this year, Trump penned a missive to Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei telling the Ayatollah that he wants to see a deal to resolve the nuclear issue 'very soon.' 3 Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has long been a staunch defender of Israel. 3 In addition to its nuclear program, the US has been alarmed by Iran's funding of terrorist activity in the Middle East. via REUTERS In 2018, Trump withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) negotiated under the Obama administration and hasn't entirely ruled out the possibility of a military response if Iran obtains a nuke, which experts fear could spark a nuclear arms race in the Middle East. DeSantis contended that, unlike the Soviet Union, which believed a nuclear war was 'not very appealing,' Iran's leaders feel that such an exchange with Israel could be 'doing the will of Allah.' Notably, back in March, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard told the Senate Intelligence Committee that Iran 'is not building a nuclear weapon and Supreme Leader [Ayatollah Ali] Khamenei has not authorized the nuclear weapons program that he suspended in 2003.' Trump's effort to cut a deal with Iran has caused some friction with Israel, which is very dead set on preventing Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. 'I told [Benjamin Netanyahu] this would be very inappropriate to do right now because we're very close to a solution,' Trump told reporters Wednesday, confirming reports that he warned the Israeli prime minister not to attack Iran during negotiations. During Trump's three-country swing through the Middle East earlier this month, the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates all expressed opposition to attacking Iran's nuclear facilities, Axios reported. All three were concerned their countries would be subject to retaliation from Iran in part because they host US military bases. 3 President Trump told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to attack Iran amid negotiations. REUTERS DeSantis also credited Israel for being foundational to Western civilization. 'You could trace back the history of Western civilization all the way back to the ancient state of Israel and the birth of both Judaism and Christianity, and we wouldn't have the United States of America if it didn't trace back to that,' the Florida governor argued.
New York Post
4 days ago
- Politics
- New York Post
German chancellor offers to help Ukraine develop its own long-range missiles to hit Russia
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz pledged Wednesday to help Ukraine develop its own long-range missile systems that would be free of any Western-imposed limitations on their use and targets as the Kyiv government fights to repel Russia's invasion. Some of the advanced weapon systems that Kyiv's allies supplied to Ukraine during the 3-year-old war were subject to range and target restrictions — a fraught political issue stemming from fears that if the weapons struck deep inside Russia, the Kremlin might retaliate against the country that provided them and draw NATO into Europe's biggest conflict since World War II. Standing beside visiting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Merz said that under an intensified cooperation agreement, Germany 'will strive to equip the Ukrainian army with all the capabilities that truly enable it to successfully defend the country,' including upgraded domestic missile production. Advertisement 6 German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (right) pledged Wednesday to help Ukraine develop its own long-range missile systems that would be free of any Western-imposed limitations on their use and targets. After the United States, Germany has been the biggest individual supplier of military aid to Ukraine. 'Ukraine will be able to fully defend itself, including against military targets outside its own territory' with its own missiles, Merz said at a joint news conference. Advertisement Merz's pledge came as the past few months of intense U.S.-led peace efforts have brought no significant breakthrough, and with analysts saying Russia is poised to launch a major summer offensive. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul was in Washington on Wednesday to meet with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. 6 Standing beside visiting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Merz said that Germany 'will strive to equip the Ukrainian army with all the capabilities that truly enable it to successfully defend the country,' including upgraded domestic missile production. AP Germany doesn't mention its Taurus cruise missiles Merz declined to say whether Germany will supply its advanced Taurus long-range cruise missile to Ukraine, long a request by Kyiv and a step that Berlin has resisted. Advertisement Asked about Germany's offer to fund long-range missile production in Ukraine, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded that the move was an obstacle to reaching a peace agreement. Both Merz and Zelenskyy criticized the Kremlin's effective rejection of an unconditional ceasefire proposed by the U.S., which Kyiv accepted. Kyiv says Moscow has been slow to respond to proposals for a settlement. 6 A TAURUS (Target Adaptive Unitary and dispensor Robotic Ubiquity System) KEPD 350 air-launched cruise missile, is on display at the International Aerospace Exhibition in Schoenefeld, near Berlin, on June 3, 2024. AFP via Getty Images Merz said last Monday that Germany and other major allies were no longer imposing range limits on weapons they send to Ukraine, although he indicated their use was limited to Russian military targets. Ukraine has launched its own long-range drones at sites that support Russia's military efforts, including refineries and chemical plants. Advertisement Then-U.S. President Joe Biden last year authorized Ukraine to use U.S.-supplied missiles for limited strikes in Russia. The decision allowed Ukraine to use the Army Tactical Missile System, known as ATACMS, against Russia. In Berlin, Zelenskyy called for deeper defense cooperation across Europe and with Washington, stressing the need for long-range capabilities and sustained military funding to ensure Ukraine's resilience. 'We need sufficient long-range capabilities. That's why we must be certain of the financing of our army and the stability of Ukraine,' he said. He said the cooperation projects already exist. 'We simply want (the missiles) to be produced in the quantity we need,' Zelenskyy told reporters. Zelenskyy said Tuesday that Ukraine is ready to hold peace talks at the highest level, including a trilateral meeting with himself, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and U.S. President Donald Trump. 'We are ready to meet at the level of leaders. Both the American side knows this, and the Russian side know this,' he said. Zelenskyy said he would accept any configuration of talks, whether that includes one trilateral meeting or separate meetings with Trump. Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, said Russia is grateful to Trump for his mediation efforts. Advertisement 'At the same time, there is a big number of nuances to be discussed that can't be neglected and which neither party is going to sacrifice, because of its national interests,' Peskov told reporters. 'Just like the United States, Russia has its national interests that are of primary importance to us.' He said that Moscow will 'soon' deliver its promised memorandum on a framework for a peace settlement. 6 Both Merz and Zelenskyy (pictured) criticized the Kremlin's effective rejection of an unconditional ceasefire proposed by the U.S., which Kyiv accepted. Front-line fighting, deep strikes continue Meanwhile, fighting has continued along the roughly 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line, where Ukraine's army is shorthanded against its bigger adversary. Zelenskyy claimed Tuesday that Russia is mobilizing up to 45,000 men every month, while Ukraine mobilizes between 25,000-27,000. Advertisement Both sides are continuing to conduct deep strikes. Russia launched its biggest drone attack of the war against Ukraine on Sunday. Russian air defenses downed 296 Ukrainian drones over 13 Russian regions late Tuesday and early Wednesday, Russia's Defense Ministry said, in what appeared to be one of the biggest Ukrainian drone assaults of the war. 6 Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz, right, welcomes Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during an official military reception at the chancellery in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, May 28, 2025. AP Ukraine is increasing its domestic production of drones and missiles, according to Zelenskyy. He said late Tuesday that Ukraine wants European countries to help it invest in the manufacture of attack drones, air defense interceptors, cruise missiles, and ballistic systems. Advertisement Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said that air defenses shot down 33 Ukrainian drones heading toward the capital. 6 Merz, on carpet front left, welcomes Zelenskyy, on carpet front right, with military honors for a meeting in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, May 28, 2025. AP Moscow regional Gov. Andrei Vorobyov said 42 drones were downed. He said that drone fragments damaged three residential buildings in the village of Troitskoye, but no one was hurt. Advertisement More than 60 flights were canceled Wednesday in Moscow as the capital's airports were forced to ground planes amid drone warnings, said the federal aviation agency, Rosaviatsiya. Overnight, Russian forces launched an attack on Ukraine using five Iskander ballistic missiles, one guided air-launched missile, and 88 drones, Ukraine's air force said. Air defense units shot down 34 drones, and 37 drones were jammed.
New York Post
25-05-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Ex-Obama aide admits he didn't mention Biden's decline because he ‘wanted him to f—king win'
Ex-Obama aide and 'Pod Save America' co-host Jon Lovett admitted on Jon Stewart's 'The Weekly Show' podcast that he withheld his concerns about President Joe Biden's physical decline during the 2024 campaign. Lovett told Stewart and his fellow 'Pod Save America' host Jon Favreau that he didn't want to publicly voice his concern over Biden's declining health because he wanted him 'to f—— win.' 'I remember feeling I want to talk about this as a huge liability. To talk about this is something Joe Biden can overcome, but I'm not going to go so far as to say, 'I think Joe Biden must drop out. He is too old to be president,'' Lovett said on the podcast. 'A, because I didn't know exactly what was going on behind the scenes, but B, if Joe Biden is the candidate, I want him to f—— win.' Lovett said he was worried that expressing his concerns would be weaponized against Biden by political opponents. He claimed he kept his concerns to himself to avoid 'having the words we're saying taken out of context and all of a sudden be part of the case against Joe Biden from the right — that would use any person criticizing Joe Biden from the left as a weapon against him.' Lovett told Stewart that he didn't want to publicly voice his concern over Biden's declining health because he wanted him 'to f—— win.' Getty Images Lovett said he was worried that expressing his concerns would be weaponized against Biden by political opponents. 'So it was about being honest about Joe Biden's age as a liability while knowing that if he is the nominee, I want to be clear that I thought it was important to make sure we did everything we could to reelect him,' Lovett claimed. CNN's Jake Tapper and Axios's Alex Thompson have recently drawn attention to Biden's health while promoting their new book, 'Original Sin,' which covered the former president's decline and the alleged cover-up by his administration to keep it under wraps. Lovett is featured in 'Original Sin' in an anecdote where he and his 'Pod Save America' co-hosts Jon Favreau and Dan Pfeiffer met with Biden at the White House on April 26, 2024. The book described them as 'deeply disturbed' after their discussions with Biden that night, with the authors describing the president as rambling and 'incoherent.'
