As part of his campaign to drastically reduce spending and reorganize the federal government under President Donald Trump, Elon Musk advocated on Thursday for the United States to “delete entire agencies.”
During a video conference to the World Governments Summit in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Musk gave a comprehensive overview of the Trump administration’s aims, intermingled with numerous allusions to “thermonuclear warfare” and the potential risks posed by artificial intelligence.
Wearing a black T-shirt labeled “Tech Support,” Musk stated, “We really have here the rule of the bureaucracy as opposed to the rule of the people—democracy.” Additionally, he made a joke about being the “White House’s tech support,” referencing his social media presence on X, which he owns.
Musk stated, “I do believe we need to delete entire agencies as opposed to leaving a lot of them behind.” “It is simple for the weed to reappear if the roots are not removed.”
Musk has already addressed the summit, but since taking over as head of the Department of Government Efficiency, he has gained Trump’s approval and solidified his hold on vast portions of the government.
Laptops 1000Career officials were excluded, private databases were obtained, and a constitutional dispute over the scope of presidential power was invited.
In addition to becoming the richest person in the world thanks to his interests in SpaceX and electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla, Musk’s new position gave his remarks greater weight.
In addition, his comments presented a more isolationist perspective on American dominance in the Middle East, where the United States has fought wars in Afghanistan and Iraq since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
Musk cited Trump’s destruction of the U.S. Agency for International Development as an example, saying, “A lot of attention has been on USAID, for example.” The National Endowment for Democracy is one example. However, I think, “Well, how much democracy have they accomplished recently?”
The United States is “less interested in interfering with the affairs of other countries” under Trump, he continued.
Speaking to the audience in the United Arab Emirates, an autocratically governed country made up of seven sheikhdoms, Musk stated that there are “times the United States has been kind of pushy in international affairs, which may resonate with some members of the audience.”
“Basically, instead of pushing for regime change everywhere, America should mind its own business,” he stated.
At one point, he connected the Trump administration’s emphasis on eradicating diversity, equality, and inclusion efforts to artificial intelligence.
According to Musk, “AI could decide that there are too many men in power and execute them if it is designed for DEI, you know, diversity at all costs.”
Regarding AI, Musk stated that he thought X’s recently upgraded AI chatbot, Grok 3, will be available in roughly two weeks, at one point describing it as “kind of scary.”
Musk recently spearheaded a $97.4 billion acquisition offer for OpenAI, which he attacked Sam Altman’s management of.
He compared it to a nonprofit organization that works to protect the Amazon rainforest turning into a “lumber company that chops down the trees.”
Musk stated in a court filing on Wednesday that he will back out of the OpenAI bid if the company that makes ChatGPT abandons its intention to become a for-profit business.
In keeping with his work at the Boring Company, which is excavating tunnels in Las Vegas to expedite transit, Musk also unveiled ideas for a project called the “Dubai Loop.”
The city-state and the Boring Company “will explore the development” of a 17-kilometer (10.5-mile) underground network with 11 stations that could carry over 20,000 passengers every hour, according to a later statement from Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, the crown prince of Dubai. He did not provide any financial terms.
Musk vowed that it would be like a wormhole. “You simply wormhole from one area of the city to another, and presto, you’re in a different area of the city.”
