Pakistan(National Times)- WASHINGTON: Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk made his first public appearance alongside US President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday, where they announced new measures to cut government spending\u2014though Musk\u2019s young son briefly stole the spotlight. Dressed in a black “Make America Great Again” cap, black t-shirt, and overcoat, the SpaceX and Tesla tycoon spoke to reporters in the Oval Office while the US president sat behind the historic Resolute Desk. Tasked by Trump to lead federal cost-cutting efforts through his “DOGE” agency\u2014the so-called Department of Government Efficiency\u2014Musk warned that the United States would go “bankrupt” without cuts. The world\u2019s richest man rejected criticisms of a lack of transparency and possible conflicts of interest. He admitted he would make “mistakes” but said he would be tackling what he called the power of an “unelected” bureaucracy. Trump signed an order that was set to give DOGE extra powers to instruct the heads of government departments to prepare for more of the cuts that have shaken the United States. Critics have condemned the Musk-led cuts as an unconstitutional concentration of power in the presidency. But for a few seconds at least, Musk had something else to worry about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Gravitas can be difficult sometimes,” said Musk as his young son X\u2014full name X \u00c6 A-Xii\u2014began to chatter and squirm during his remarks. At other times, the boy, dressed in a tan overcoat, knelt down and leaned against Trump\u2019s desk as Musk\u2019s comments neared the half-hour mark. As Musk talked about consumer debt at one point, the boy picked his nose. It was a typically unorthodox appearance by Musk, whose iconoclastic style was a large part of the attraction for Trump as he sought a frontman for his sweeping overhaul of the US government. Musk, who was the biggest donor to Trump\u2019s election campaign to the tune of a quarter of a billion dollars, has brought in a team of young engineers to drive a ruthless efficiency programme. The plans have effectively shuttered some federal agencies and sent staff home\u2014sparking legal battles across the country and accusations of an illegal power grab. Asked by a reporter about his “detractors,” Musk first joked, “I have detractors? I don\u2019t believe it,” before claiming that, thanks to Trump\u2019s election win, “you couldn\u2019t ask for a stronger mandate from the public.” “The people voted for major government reform, and that\u2019s what people are going to get,” said Musk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Musk has also drawn accusations of hypocrisy, given that he regularly rails against “unelected” bureaucrats\u2014while he himself is an unelected official wielding huge power, yet answering media questions for just the first time since Trump returned to office. The tech baron has also faced questions about potential conflicts of interest, given that SpaceX has billions of dollars in contracts with the same government he is auditing. Musk rejected the criticisms, saying he was being “transparent” and adding, “It\u2019s not like I think I can get away with something\u2014I\u2019ll be scrutinised non-stop.” As he spoke about transparency, the\u00a0Associated Press<\/em>\u00a0reported that its White House reporter was barred from the Musk event due to the top US news agency\u2019s refusal to follow Trump\u2019s order renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America. After Musk, it was Trump\u2019s turn to speak. He hailed Musk\u2019s work so far before embarking on a lengthy rant against US judges who are blocking some of their plans. That left the elephant in the room. Or rather\u2014how can one room as cramped as the Oval Office accommodate two powerful egos who are used to getting their own way? Time Magazine<\/em>\u2019s latest issue caused a stir with a cover featuring Musk behind the same Resolute Desk. Musk, however, moved to show that he knew who was boss. “I check frequently with the president to make sure that this is what the president wants to happen. So, we talk almost every day,” he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Pakistan(National Times)- WASHINGTON: Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk made his first public appearance alongside US President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday, where they announced new measures to cut government spending\u2014though Musk\u2019s young son briefly stole the spotlight. Dressed in a black “Make America Great Again” cap, black t-shirt, and overcoat, the SpaceX and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":98705,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-98704","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-international","entry"],"yoast_head":"\n