The billionaire who donated millions to the Republican campaign is expected to head the new Department of Government Efficiency. The president-elect also announces the Fox News host in charge of the Pentagon The president-elect of the United States, Donald Trump, has nominated billionaire Elon Musk this Tuesday (11/12) to head his new Department of Government Efficiency .
Musk, who donated millions of dollars to Trump’s campaign and actively supported the Republican candidate in the last elections, will lead the department together with Trump’s former rival in the Republican Party primaries, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy.
In a statement, Trump said Musk and Ramaswamy would lead the way for the administration to “dismantle government bureaucracy, reduce excessive regulation, cut unnecessary spending and restructure federal agencies.”
The new department should have the acronym DOGE, perhaps also in reference to the Dogecoin cryptocurrency, promoted by Musk. Trump said the goal is to implement broad structural reforms, as well as a “never before seen business vision” in government.
The president-elect indicated that the body will operate outside the bounds of the federal administration, “providing advice from outside the government,” and that the roles of Musk and Ramaswamy will be informal, without needing Senate approval. This should also allow Musk to continue leading electric car company Tesla, social media platform X and rocket company SpaceX.
The role of the new department within the American government is still unknown. The question is whether he will have decision-making power or whether he will limit himself to making assessments, analyzes and proposals on cuts or adjustments in other departments.
“This will shake up the system and everyone involved in government waste, which is a lot of people,” Musk said, according to Trump’s statement.
Awarded for campaign
Musk’s appointment as head of the Department of Government Efficiency reciprocates the support he received from Trump during the presidential campaign, during which the billionaire contributed donations estimated at more than $100 million, as well as public appearances alongside the then-candidate and posts on social networks
Ranked by Forbes magazine as the richest person in the world, Musk already expected benefits from Trump’s victory even without the position in the new department. The expectation is that the billionaire will exert enormous influence on the government, so as to ensure favorable treatment for his companies.
Ramaswamy, in turn, is the founder of a pharmaceutical company and had run for the Republican presidential election against Trump, who he ended up supporting.
Benefits for moss
For equity analyst Daniel Ives, of Wedbush Securities, Musk will have a “huge” role in the White House and an ever-increasing reach over federal agencies.
“We believe the big benefits for Musk and Tesla far outweigh any negative effects. Betting on Treump continues to be a ‘great poker move’ for Musk,” Ives said.
Consumer rights NGO Public Citizen, which opposed several measures imposed during the first Trump administration, criticized Musk’s appointment, classifying it as “extreme corporate corruption.”
“Not only does Musk know nothing about government efficiency and regulation, but his own companies have often run afoul of the very rules he will be able to attack in his new role as ‘czar,'” said Lisa Gilbert , co-president of Pubblico Cittadino, in a statement.
Fox presenter at the Pentagon
Another name confirmed by Trump for the new government is Pete Hegseth, host of the conservative television channel Fox News. With no political or national security experience, Hegseth, 44, will take over the Defense Department and, therefore, head the Pentagon.
He has been working for Fox for about ten years and hosts programs such as Fox & Friends Weekend, having interviewed Trump several times, which would have created a friendship between them.
At the Pentagon, however, according to a source interviewed by CNN, “everyone is simply shocked” as Hegseth will assume the country’s most important defense position amid conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.
Trump said he chose Hegseth because of his long service in the U.S. Army, describing him as “tough, smart” and said he is a true believer in “America First,” a slogan from Trump’s first campaign advocating “USA First “. .
Other candidates
Trump also announced the names of the heads of other major bodies and departments of the US government. Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee is expected to be the new US ambassador to Israel.
Trump also said he intends to nominate former Republican congressman John Ratcliffe as director of the CIA, the American intelligence agency. He is currently co-president of a conservative think tank close to Trump.
Ratcliffe served as director of intelligence in the first Trump administration (2017-2021) and was accused by Democrats of disseminating inaccurate analyzes of Russian election interference, contradicting experienced intelligence officials.
Kristi Noem, best known for admitting to shooting and killing her 14-month-old dog because she said it couldn’t be trained as a hunting dog, will be the new secretary of Homeland Security. After the episode, he said that shooting the dog showed that he isn’t afraid to make tough decisions.
gb/lf (Reuters, AFP, dpa, ots)
Source: Terra
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