Trump allies urge White House to curb Elon Musk’s – Business News
Allies of President Trump are pushing the White House to rein in Elon Musk’s media appearances as his assaults on Social Security — which he referred to as “the biggest Ponzi scheme of all time” — stoke issues amongst lawmakers and constituents, in accordance to a report.
Though Trump has vowed that Social Security just isn’t going wherever, Musk — the face of the federal government’s cost-slashing effort — has more and more slammed this system during media interviews.
“There is no daylight between the President and Elon Musk,” a White House official instructed The Post in a assertion. “Continued attempts to sow division in the Trump Administration are desperate and amount to nothing.”
Tesla CEO Elon Musk and President Trump shake arms on the NCAA males’s wrestling championship. REUTERS
“President Trump has been clear, the only changes to Social Security will be the end of taxation on this benefit to those who worked hard to earn it,” they continued.
During his look on Joe Rogan’s podcast in late February, Musk referred to as Social Security “the biggest Ponzi scheme of all time.”
Just a few weeks later, he took purpose on the in style authorities program again during an interview with Fox Business host Larry Kudlow.
“The waste and fraud in entitlement spending, which is most of the federal spending, is entitlements, so that’s the big one to eliminate,” Musk stated.
Some Trump allies — together with Wall Street bigwigs, company leaders and lawmakers — have contacted the White House and even Trump himself to call for Musk to be taken off the air or more scripted, in accordance to an NBC News report citing nameless sources.
A Trump adviser instructed NBC News they have been conscious of “outside concern” round Musk’s feedback.
Elon Musk stated a lot of “waste and fraud” comes from entitlement spending during his interview with Fox Business host Larry Kudlow. Fox Business
“Of course they don’t want their Social Security cut,” a White House official instructed the outlet. “So if they hear something on the news that Elon Musk is saying, that we should do something with Social Security — of course there might be some concerns. But the only concern they have to worry about is what the president of the United States is saying and what he’s doing.”
“We haven’t touched Social Security. We’re not going to touch Social Security,” they added.
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White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt additionally doubled down on the president’s message that Social Security is right here to keep.
But Musk’s feedback have nonetheless ruffled some feathers — particularly after the billionaire Tesla founder has taken a chainsaw to a number of authorities companies.
“Without reforming Social Security and Medicare, both programs will collapse and take the government down with it,” a Republican lawmaker instructed NBC. “But the last thing we need to talk about is disparaging the system. It’s not a Ponzi scheme, it’s just an entitlement program that needs to be reformed.”
Elon Musk brandishes a chainsaw on the Conservative Political Action Conference alongside Argentine President Javier Milei. AP
“The more of these Musk interviews, the more discussion we’ll have,” they stated, including that the 2026 marketing campaign will doubtless be a referendum on Musk — with “ad after ad with the chainsaw.”
A consultant for Musk didn’t instantly reply to The Post’s request for remark.
It’s a reference to the unforgettable image of Musk wielding a chainsaw on stage on the Conservative Political Action Conference final month, alongside President Javier Milei of Argentina.
But Musk’s DOGE has additionally symbolically taken an ax to what he has referred to as wasteful and fraudulent spending — reducing grants from the Department of Education and making an attempt to shutter the US Agency for International Development.
Elon Musk referred to as Social Security “the biggest Ponzi scheme of all time” during an look on Joe Rogan’s podcast. @PowerfulJRE/YouTube
A federal decide final week blocked Musk’s shutdown of USAID and referred to as for workers to be reinstated.
Social Security staffers instructed NBC News that Musk’s feedback on the entitlement program have worsened their issues that the White House will transfer to privatize their division.
DOGE has closed some Social Security places of work and tried to curtail phone providers so recipients could have to go in individual for help making modifications.
These modifications have elevated wait instances and could possibly be notably difficult for aged recipients, workers stated.
