President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday tasked Elon Musk with “dismantling” America’s bureaucracy, appointing a longtime Fox News host, Pete Hegseth, to lead the Pentagon.
Musk, the billionaire CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, had pitched himself during the campaign as someone who could cut waste from the federal budget. In late October, he claimed he could cut $2 trillion.
Trump said Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, a former Republican primary candidate, would provide outside advice to the government from a “Department of Government Efficiency.”
“Together, these two great Americans will pave the way for my administration to dismantle the government bureaucracy, eliminate redundant regulations, reduce wasteful spending and restructure federal agencies,” Trump said in a statement. “It may become the ‘Manhattan Project’ of our time.”
Trump said he would appoint Hegseth as secretary of defense. Hegseth is co-host of “Fox and Friends Weekend” and has been with the channel since 2014.
“Pete is tough, smart and a true advocate of America First,” Trump said in a statement. “With Pete at the helm, America’s enemies are on notice – our military will be great again, and America will never back down.”
He was an infantry captain in the Army National Guard and served in Afghanistan and Iraq, where he earned two Bronze Stars.
He also served as CEO of Concerned Veterans for America, a conservative veterans group. At Fox News he has hosted several specials, including the “All American New Year” specials.
“Pete Hegseth has been an exceptional host of ‘Fox and Friends’ and ‘Fox Nation’ for nearly a decade and a bestselling author for Fox News Books,” the network said in a statement. “His insights and analysis, especially about the military, resonated deeply with our viewers and made the program the great success it is today. We are extremely proud of his work at Fox News Media and wish him continued success in Washington.”
Trump’s announcement noted that Hegseth’s recent book, “The War on Warriors,” spent nine weeks on the New York Times bestseller list.
“The book exposes the left’s betrayal of our warriors, and how we must return our military to meritocracy, lethality, accountability and excellence,” Trump said. “Pete has also led two Veterans Advocacy organizations, leading the fight for our Warriors and our great Veterans. No one fights harder for the troops, and Pete will be a courageous and patriotic champion of our ‘Peace Through Strength’ policy.”
Hegseth was a strong supporter of Trump’s policies during his first term.
As for Musk and Ramaswamy, Trump said their work would be completed in time for the country’s 250th anniversary on July 4, 2026.
Musk was quoted in the statement as saying: “This will send shockwaves through the system, and through everyone involved in government waste, which is a lot of people!”