Donald Trump says Elon Musk was not first choice for DOGE: ’He is good but...’

Donald Trump recently made a sursprising comment about Elon Musk heading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) revealing that Tesla boss wasn't his first choice for the post. He noted that they had initially looked for "somebody smarter" to lead DOGE, but later "settled" on Musk.

Trump in a candid conversation with Fox News said, "He's good... I wanted to find somebody smarter than him. I searched all over. I just couldn't do it. I couldn't find anyone smarter, right? So, we had to, for the country, settled on this guy".

He then acknowledged that Musk, though not his first choice, was still a valuable asset. Musk responded saying, “Well, thanks for having me. I'm just trying to be useful here.”

Amid the massive job cut concern, Trump has assured that Musk will not be involved in any DOGE decisions that may pose a conflict of interest saying, "If there's a conflict, he won't be involved. I mean, I wouldn't want that, and he wouldn't want it."

That's why I became president: Trump

In another question, the Fox host Sean Hannity brought up the wealth disparity between Musk and Trump. To this, Trump was quick to answer, “That's why I became president.”

Trump further spoke about the colloborating with Musk and also praised his business acumen, "He's actually a very good businessman. What he does, with his 100 geniuses, is ensure that things get done."

“I wanted great people. And he’s a great person. He’s an amazing person. He’s also a caring person,” Trump said. “He’s a good person, a very good person, and he wants the country to do well,” he further praised Musk

Trump and Musk's partnership has drawn significant attention, especially regarding Musk's role. The DOGE has played a key part in Trump's government overhaul efforts, which have included thousands of job cuts.