In a recent interview, tech magnate Elon Musk declared that he has "done enough" in terms of political spending.
This statement came in response to a question about whether he planned to contribute as significantly to midterm candidates as he did in the 2024 presidential election.
Musk, who is currently focusing on his business ventures after heading a government accountability office under President Donald Trump, was interviewed by BBC journalist Mishal Husain at the Qatar Economic Forum.
According to The Blaze, Musk's political contributions in the 2024 election were estimated to be around $288 million. When asked about his future political spending, Musk stated, "If I see a reason to do political spending in the future, I will do it. I do not currently see a reason." This response indicates a shift from his previous heavy involvement in political funding.
Musk's companies, Starlink and Tesla, have faced significant backlash from left-leaning critics due to his support for Trump and his efforts to reduce the size of government. Some of these protests against his companies have escalated into vandalism and violence. Despite this, Musk remains steadfast in his conservative stance, emphasizing the importance of limited government and individual freedom.
During the interview, Husain challenged Musk on his claims about reducing government spending through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). She highlighted that while he had set an ambitious goal of saving over $2 trillion, the actual savings realized were only about $170 billion. Musk defended the DOGE, stating, "Your question is absurd in its fundamental premise," and arguing that the savings his team was able to find were significant.
Musk also criticized Husain's line of questioning, accusing her of behaving like an "NPC," a term used in gaming to refer to "non-player characters" who do not think independently. He argued, "I feel you're somewhat trapped in the NPC dialogue tree of a traditional journalist. So it's difficult when conversing with someone who's trapped in a dialogue tree of a conventional journalist, because it's like talking to a computer."
Despite the criticism, Musk maintained that the DOGE, as an advisory group, had performed exceptionally well. He stated, "The progress we've made thus far, as an advisory group, is excellent. I don't think any advisory group has done better in the history of advisory groups of the government." He further clarified that the DOGE does not make laws, but its efforts have already saved the government $60 billion.
In the course of the interview, Musk also took aim at the legacy media, particularly the Wall Street Journal. He emphasized his primary identity as a technologist, stating, "I'm a technologist, first and foremost." This assertion underscores Musk's commitment to innovation and free-market economics, key tenets of conservative ideology.
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