Doge chief Elon Musk said Monday that he runs his business “very difficult” as a stake in the auto company. Tesla Suffering the worst decline in six months, his social media company X has experienced several suspensions.
Musk also said in an interview with Fox Business that he expected him to remain in the Trump administration for another year.
Tesla stocks have been declining weekly since Musk joined the Trump administration as the government’s efficiency director, and are engaged in a wide range of controversial efforts to cut federal spending and employee workforce.
Electric vehicle companies have lost more than 50% of their market capitalization, representing nearly $800 billion.
“It’s fine in the long run,” Musk responded to a tweet on X’s post, noting that Tesla’s biggest day-long stop has dropped in history.
On Monday, Musk said there are currently more than 100 people on Doge’s team. It is located in almost every government agency.
He said the number could increase to 200.
“Unless we stop, we’ll save $1 trillion,” Musk predicted.
Estimates of Mask’s savings have been challenged, and Doge has removed some of the biggest savings listed on its website.
Federal employment reduced the decline in 10,000 jobs in February, according to data released Friday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics since DOGE began its efforts.
In addition to Tesla and X, Musk’s other businesses include space exploration companies SpaceX and Neurotechnology Company Neuralink.
In an interview Monday, Fox business host Larry Kudlow said, as head of Doge, “You’re giving up on other things.”
“How do you run other businesses?” Kudrow asked.
Musk replied “It’s very difficult,” laughed.
“Yeah, that’s it,” Musk sighed.
“I’m trying to make the government more efficient and eliminate waste and fraud here. So far, we’ve actually made good progress,” he said. “Our savings at this point are over $4 billion a day, which is why it’s so important.”
Tesla will close regular trading at over 15.4% on Monday.
Musk blamed X for the suspension he experienced on Monday in a “major cyberattack” from an Internet protocol address derived from the Ukraine region.
He provided no evidence of that claim.
“You’re a traitor,” Musk wrote earlier Monday in a tweet directed at Arizona Senator Sen. Mark Kelly after posting about the senator’s visit to Ukraine over the weekend.
“Everyone wants to end this war, but any agreement must protect Ukraine’s safety and is not a gift for Putin,” Kelly wrote.
Kelly, a former US Navy pilot and NASA astronaut, fought back against Musk’s attack.
“Traitor?” Kelly wrote. “Elon, if you don’t understand that freedom of defense is the fundamental doctrine of what makes America great and keeps us safe, then you might have to leave it to us.”
It comes as the Trump administration puts pressure on Ukraine to pressure Ukraine to reach a ceasefire with Russia and accept concessions that include giving the US a willingness to invest in Ukraine’s mineral resources and transferring territory to Russia.
