As Musk’s big Trump bet pays off, US government faces ‘hardcore’ reform

WASHINGTON: Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, is positioned to have sweeping powers in the second Trump administration as a deputy tasked with restructuring government operations using his aggressive approach to business.
The next chapter in the life of the South African-born tycoon comes after he delivered unprecedented support for Trump’s campaign, coming out a huge winner in his first deep dive into politics.
He invested over US$100 million and leveraged his social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to amplify the former president’s anti-immigration and right-wing messaging.His America PAC (political action committee) doled out US$1 million giveaways to registered voters in key states and funded ground operations that expanded Trump’s support in crucial swing districts.
“America is a nation of builders. Soon, you will be free to build,” Musk posted on X.
He also posted a photoshopped image of him carrying a sink into the White House, with the line “let that sink in”.
This was a callback to his gag on the day he took over Twitter in 2022 when he brought in an actual sink, signalling that he was about to deliver major disruption at the company, including the firing of two-thirds of its 7,000 workers.
The mass layoffs decimated Twitter’s content moderation teams and ushered in Musk’s reign over the platform, leading to a rise in misinformation and hate speech, and an exodus of advertisers.
Musk is expected to lead a new Department of Government Efficiency, targeting US$2 trillion in cuts from the federal government’s US$7 trillion budget.