In an epic exchange that left the mainstream media scrambling, President Donald Trump came out swinging in defense of Elon Musk’s groundbreaking email to federal workers, demanding they account for their work in the past week. The email, which quickly went viral, prompted an uproar from government employees and media alike, but Trump stood firm, calling it a much-needed shake-up to a bloated and inefficient system.
The heated moment came when a reporter questioned the effectiveness of the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) efforts, particularly after agency heads advised their employees to ignore Musk’s email. The reporter asked, “Sir, do you think that DOGE could benefit from more streamlined communications? There was that email telling employees to give five things that they’ve done last week. Agency heads then told people to ignore it.”
Trump wasted no time firing back, praising Musk’s move as exactly what the government needs. “The last email that was sent where he wanted to know what you did this week… You know why you wanted that, by the way? I thought it was great, because we have people that don’t show up to work, and nobody even knows if they work for the government,” Trump explained. “So by asking the question, tell us what you did this week… It’s simple. Are you actually working?”
The former president wasn’t shy about his disdain for the inefficiency that plagues Washington, D.C. “What he’s doing is saying, ‘Are you actually working?’ And then if you don’t answer, like you’re sort of semi-fired, or you’re fired because a lot of people are not answering because they don’t even exist. They’re trying to find out how badly various parts of our government were run by it, especially by this last group,” Trump continued.
Trump then turned to the larger issue of government spending and fraud, underscoring how essential Musk’s efforts are. “So what they’re doing is they’re trying to find out who’s working for the government. Are we paying other people that aren’t working? And you know, where is all that? Where’s the money going?” Trump remarked, citing the massive amount of waste already uncovered. “We have found hundreds of billions of dollars of fraud so far, and we’ve just started,” he said. “We’re actually going to Fort Knox to see if the gold is there, because maybe somebody stole the gold, tons of gold.”
Trump’s bold defense of the effort was a call for transparency in a system where accountability has long been ignored. “I think it was actually genius sending that email. We’re trying to find out if people are working, so we send a letter to people: ‘Please tell us what you did last week.’ If people don’t respond, it’s very possible that there is no such person or they’re not working.”
As the reporter attempted to criticize Musk’s approach, Trump confidently shot back. When asked about the confusion surrounding the communication breakdown, Trump dismissed the concerns, explaining that certain sensitive agencies, like the FBI and State Department, were not required to participate in such a straightforward request. “No, no, no. That was done in a friendly manner,” Trump said. “But other than that, I think everyone thought it was a pretty ingenious idea. We have to find out where these people are, who are they?”
Trump’s comments were a clear call for reform in the federal government, where efficiency has often taken a back seat to bureaucratic inertia. And if recent polling is any indication, the American public is behind these efforts. A Harvard poll released shortly after Trump’s remarks confirmed widespread support for Musk’s approach, showing that the majority of Americans favor more accountability in government.
In an era where bloated government agencies have run unchecked for far too long, the push for accountability is long overdue. Thanks to figures like Musk and Trump, who aren’t afraid to challenge the status quo, the American people may finally see the reforms they’ve been demanding for years.
