Former President Donald Trump suggested he would appoint billionaire Elon Musk to his administration should he be elected in November.
On Thursday, Trump announced he would create a government efficiency commission, which would be used to audit U.S. agencies, which Musk agreed to lead.
“At the suggestion of Elon Musk, who has given me his complete and total endorsement. I will create a government efficiency commission tasked with conducting a complete financial and performance audit of the entire federal government and making recommendations for drastic reforms,” Trump said at the Economic Club of New York. “We need to do it. Can’t go on the way we are now.”
The commission was created partly to address government regulations, such as energy production, and to examine how agencies spend their funding. Trump also promised to withdraw "unsensible" spending appropriated during the Biden Administration. The Twitter CEO first pitched the idea to Trump weeks ago.
“I look forward to serving America if the opportunity arises. No pay, no title, no recognition is needed,” Musk wrote on X.
I look forward to serving America if the opportunity arises.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 5, 2024
No pay, no title, no recognition is needed. https://t.co/5PSNtjBQn7
“I think it would be great to just have a government efficiency commission that takes a look at these things and just ensures that the taxpayer money, the taxpayers hard-earned money is spent in a good way. I'd be happy to help out on such a commission,” Musk said during an interview last month.
It is unclear how the commission would be staffed or directed, but Trump campaign senior advisor Brian Hughes said Thursday’s speech reaffirmed "that Trump loves the idea and will work with Musk and others to make sure it happens.”
Later in his address, which highlighted his plans for a “national economic renaissance,” Trump received a round of applause from the crowd after he vowed to make the U.S. “the world capital for crypto and Bitcoin.”
The economy has emerged as one of the top issues leading into the 2024 election.
Vice President Kamala Harris vowed to ban “price gouging” at the grocery store as costs are on track to increase for the fourth year. However, grocery stores criticized the VP, blaming the Biden-Harris Administration’s economic policies for having to raise prices.
A recent ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll found that Trump has an economic advantage over Harris, who leads by nine points. Trump also leads by 61- 33 percent among voters who rate the economy negatively. On the other hand, Harris leads by 89- 8 percent among those who rate it positively.