Elon Musk recently reflected on his tenure at the White House, where he led the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) under President Donald Trump's administration. Musk's leadership resulted in significant reductions across federal agencies, including eliminating approximately 23,000 government jobs. He acknowledged how complex and challenging implementing large-scale governmental reforms has been while recounting the nights he slept in the Lincoln bedroom.
As of April, the number of U.S. government workers has declined for the fourth consecutive month, with non-postal federal employment dropping by 8,500 under the Trump administration. According to the latest non-farm payroll report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, federal government employment, excluding the U.S. Postal Service, has fallen by more than 23,000 in 2025. This marks the most significant reduction since 1981, when President Ronald Reagan cut 46,000 federal jobs.
Since January, 200,000 federal employees have been laid off, while over 75,000 accepted a buyout option known as deferred retirement. In total, more than 260,000 federal workers have been dismissed since Trump took office.
Musk has praised DOGE for making progress, but acknowledged that it “could be more effective.”
“In the grand scheme of things, I think we’ve been effective,” Musk said. “The federal government is a gigantic beast — very complicated — and so if you’re trying to figure out how to stop waste and fraud, you’ve got to map the territory. That required three months of intense effort, and you have to build the team as well.”
So far, DOGE has saved the government over $160 billion—a stretch Musk described as an “intense period” with little to no time off.
The Tesla CEO also reflected on his time at the White House, recalling late-night trips to the kitchen for ice cream and sneaking in a few naps in the Lincoln Bedroom.
“I didn’t think I would ever sleep in there,” Musk said, recalling when the president called him late at night to say, “By the way, make sure you get ice cream from the kitchen.”
“The president is a very good host,” Musk said. “I went to the kitchen and got some ice cream — I ate a whole tub of ice cream. Caramel. Häagen-Dazs. Don’t tell RFK I ate a whole tub.”
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