Donald Trump says Elon Musk will uncover billions in ‘government fraud’

Donald Trump has backed Elon Musk amid mounting criticism, saying the billionaire has been “a great help” in rooting out government “waste”.

Donald Trump said that Elon Musk, who is presiding over a purge of US government jobs, will help find “hundreds of billions of dollars of fraud” in federal agencies.

Speaking in a Fox News interview that aired before the Super Bowl football championship, the US president said the American people “want me to find” waste and that Musk, the world’s richest man and the leader of the President’s cost-cutting efforts, has been “a great help” in rooting out unnecessary spending.

“We’re going to find billions, hundreds of billions of dollars of fraud and abuse. And, you know, the people elected me on that,” Mr Trump told Fox News Channel’s Bret Baier.

Donald Trump has defended Elon Musk saying the billionaire is “not gaining anything” by running DOGE. Picture: AFP

“He’s not gaining anything,” Mr Trump said, adding that he is going to tell Mr Musk to check the Department of Education “soon” and then do “the same thing” to the US military.

“We’re going to find billions, hundreds of billions, of dollars of fraud and abuse,” Mr Trump adds.

The US President said he’s had “great help with Elon Musk, who’s been terrific”.

Mr Trump said in his interview that over the next day or so he will order Musk to turn his government scalpel to the Department of Education, a frequent target of Republican ire.

“Then I’m going to go to the military,” Mr Trump said, reiterating his call for a review of spending at the Pentagon, whose budget totals some $850 billion.

A person holds up a sign as they protest against US President Donald Trump and Elon Musk's "Department of Government Efficiency" (DOGE). Picture: AFP

Musk’s role faces criticism in part because his companies have had billions of dollars in contracts with the US government – more than $20 billion, according to House Democrat Mark Pocan.

Asked whether he trusts Musk to fairly root out wasteful spending, Mr Trump appeared to assert that the wealthy entrepreneur and his businesses are not benefiting financially through Musk’s work with DOGE.

“He’s not gaining anything,” Mr Trump said.

Late last week, a US federal judge blocked Mr Musk’s DOGE from accessing Treasury Department records that contain sensitive personal data of millions of Americans.

US District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer issued the preliminary injunction after 19 Democratic attorneys general sued Mr Trump to stop Mr Musk’s team from looking at sensitive files as they seek to review the federal payments system.

The case alleges the Trump administration allowed Musk’s team access to the Treasury Department’s central payment system, which is in violation of federal law.

Elon Musk speaks during the Trump inauguration. Picture: Getty Images via AFP

The payment system handles tax refunds, Social Security benefits, veterans’ benefits among other payments.

Judge Engelmayer, who was appointed by President Barack Obama, also said anyone prohibited from having access to the sensitive information since January 20 must “immediately destroy any and all copies of material downloaded from the Treasury Department’s records and systems, if any.”

The four-page order said the states that sued the Trump administration “will face irreparable harm in the absence of injunctive relief.”

“That is both because of the risk that the new policy presents of the disclosure of sensitive and confidential information and the heightened risk that the systems in question will be more vulnerable than before to hacking,” Judge Engelmayer wrote.

Under the order, the Trump administration can’t give access to political appointees, special government employees or government employees not assigned to the Treasury Department.

The injunction has been filed in the federal court in New York City, and is in place until a hearing which is set for February 14.

Time Magazine cover features Elon Musk behind the Resolute Desk at the Oval Office.

TRUMP TAKES A SWIPE AT TIME OVER MUSK COVER

It comes after Mr Trump has taken a scathing swipe at Time Magazine after the publication featured Musk sitting at his desk on its latest cover.

The striking cover sees Musk, coffee in hand, positioned between the presidential desk and the American and presidential flags against a bold red backdrop.

In the accompanying piece, headlined “Inside Elon Musk’s War on Washington,” journalists Simon Schuster and Brian Bennett explore Musk’s relentless campaign, which has placed “millions of government workers at Musk’s mercy.”

Critics of the president have suggested Musk has too much power as he’s tasked with leading Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency.

“So far, Musk appears accountable to no one but President Trump, who handed his campaign benefactor a sweeping mandate to bring the government in line with his agenda.,” Schuster and Bennett wrote. “DOGE directed all of TIME’s questions about its work to the White House, which declined to comment.”

The back-to-back covers hint that Musk, not Mr Trump, may be the true power behind the throne — an idea that could provoke the president, who is both captivated by the magazine and known for not sharing the spotlight.

When Mr Trump was asked by a reporter about the cover at the White House he jokingly responded: “Is Time Magazine still in business?”. “I didn’t even know that.”

US President Donald Trump was asked about the Time cover during his meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. Picture: AFP

He then went on to praise Musk, doubling down on his decision to bring him along for his presidential term.

“Elon is doing a great job. He’s finding tremendous fraud and corruption and waste. You see it with the USAID, but you’re going to see it even more so with other agencies and other parts of government,” he said.

“ He’s got a staff that’s fantastic. He’s wanted to be able to do this for a long time.”

Mr Trump has twice been selected as Time’s “person of the year,” most recently in 2024, and has already appeared on its cover since returning to the presidency. He referred to the crowning as a “tremendous honour.”

“Time Magazine, getting this honour for the second time, I think I like it better this time actually,” he said at the event.

At the time, the publication’s editor-in-chief Sam Jacobs defended their decision for choosing one of the most controversial U.S. presidents in history — twice.

Reporter: Mr. President, do you have a reaction to the new time magazine cover that has Elon Musk sitting behind your resolute desk at time magazine?

Trump: No… Is Time magazine still in business? I didn't even know that. pic.twitter.com/ity2kJ4dKj

— Acyn (@Acyn) February 7, 2025

“This is someone who made a historic comeback, who reshaped the American presidency and who’s reordering American politics,” Jacobs said. “It’s hard to argue with the fact that the person who’s moving into the Oval Office is the most influential person in news.”

Time’s latest issue marks Musk’s second appearance on the magazine’s cover in recent months, following his November feature as “Citizen Musk,” which portrayed him as a “kingmaker” in the presidential election.

– with Agence France-Presse (AFP)