Elon Musk listens as US President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on February 11, 2025. Photo: Jim Watson/Getty Images

Trump signed an executive order that requires federal agencies to report to the Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency Service as they cut down the federal workforce. All hires will need to be made with the approval of a “DOGE Team Lead” at each agency, and no more than one person will be hired for every four that depart, according to the order.

“By eliminating waste, bloat, and insularity, my Administration will empower American families, workers, taxpayers, and our system of Government itself,” Trump wrote in the order.

But DOGE and Musk’s actions to curtail government spending, which Congress controls, have already led to several lawsuits and court orders, the end result of which remains unclear.

“The people voted for major government reform and that’s what the people are going to get,” Musk, who was not elected to office by Americans, said on Tuesday, according to a White House pool report. “That’s what democracy is all about.”

Musk was dressed in dark colours with a “Make America Great Again” hat on and accompanied by one of his 11 children, X Æ A-12. At one point, X appeared to pick his nose and placed a booger on the Resolute Desk.

Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, is the richest man in the world with a current net worth of $378.8 billion, according to Forbes.