Trump allies are pressuring the White House to limit billionaire Elon Muskʼs communication with the media.
NBC News reports this, citing sources.
After his election, Donald Trump said that the budget cuts initiative would not affect Social Security. However, Elon Musk, who is engaged in cutting government spending, has repeatedly criticized the Social Security program during his interactions with the media.
For example, in an interview with Joe Rogan in late February, he called Social Security “the biggest Ponzi scheme of all time”.
And a few weeks later, in an interview with Fox Business host Larry Kudlow, the billionaire called social security payments wasteful or fraudulent and that this program "is important to eliminate".
Republicans see Muskʼs interviews as a threat to the party in the midterm elections to the US Congress, which will be held in 2026. In their opinion, older people "may be too worried" about his statements.
In particular, the retirement and disability program has already suffered from Muskʼs attempts to cut staff as DOGE closes some Social Security offices and limits phone services.
A White House representative, commenting on the billionaireʼs statements, said that Muskʼs personal opinion on Social Security does not affect Trumpʼs policies.
In addition to representatives of the Republican Party, Wall Street investors have joined in criticizing Musk and calling for restrictions on his public appearances.
- After Donald Trump became president of the United States, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) was launched in Washington, D.C., under the leadership of billionaire Elon Musk. This structure is supposed to increase the efficiency of the American government in a year and a half.
- As part of the governmentʼs spending cuts, the US government has, among other things, suspended aid programs to other countries, offered federal officials the opportunity to resign and receive compensation. The US also decided to cut the staff of the Department of Education by almost half, and the US Central Intelligence Agency began laying off recently hired employees.
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