Jonathan Swan

Right. And in terms of Musk's own authority, he's effectively unaccountable because Trump has given him his blessing. It's not like Trump is really interested in the minutia of the United States digital service or the treasury payment system or all of these pretty wonky and in some cases quite obscure parts of government that Musk and his team are taking control of.

He keeps Trump, you know, abreast. He drops into White House meetings. He has an office in the West Wing. He'll go into the Oval, talk to Trump on the phone. But even like senior members of the White House staff have found themselves in the dark about what he's doing and trying to figure out after the fact what

He keeps Trump, you know, abreast. He drops into White House meetings. He has an office in the West Wing. He'll go into the Oval, talk to Trump on the phone. But even like senior members of the White House staff have found themselves in the dark about what he's doing and trying to figure out after the fact what

One Trump official that one of my colleagues talked to who only spoke on the condition of anonymity said that Musk was widely seen as operating with a level of autonomy that almost no one can control.

One Trump official that one of my colleagues talked to who only spoke on the condition of anonymity said that Musk was widely seen as operating with a level of autonomy that almost no one can control.

Exactly. So you now have a situation where you have an entire federal agency that's responsible for delivering aid around the world, where employees there are in a state of... confusion, anxiety. They don't know whether their agency will exist. Sure doesn't look like it will. And no one can say this is a surprise.

Exactly. So you now have a situation where you have an entire federal agency that's responsible for delivering aid around the world, where employees there are in a state of... confusion, anxiety. They don't know whether their agency will exist. Sure doesn't look like it will. And no one can say this is a surprise.

Trump campaigned on this, that we shouldn't be spending money overseas, that we should cut our foreign spending, and has been very clear that he intended to do this. So while there are really serious legal and Nobody who's been reading our coverage and listening to Donald Trump for the last four years should have any level of surprise that he's doing this.

Trump campaigned on this, that we shouldn't be spending money overseas, that we should cut our foreign spending, and has been very clear that he intended to do this. So while there are really serious legal and Nobody who's been reading our coverage and listening to Donald Trump for the last four years should have any level of surprise that he's doing this.

Well, USAID makes up less than 1% of the federal budget. It spent about $38 billion in fiscal year 23. Elon Musk has said that their success will be measured on how many dollars per day they slash from federal spending. So they are looking for dollars everywhere, but there's definitely an ideological component here. Elon Musk has called USAID evil.

Well, USAID makes up less than 1% of the federal budget. It spent about $38 billion in fiscal year 23. Elon Musk has said that their success will be measured on how many dollars per day they slash from federal spending. So they are looking for dollars everywhere, but there's definitely an ideological component here. Elon Musk has called USAID evil.

That's not just saying, oh, there's $38 billion we want to trim out. No, this is an evil institution in his mind. And if you are looking for the platonic ideal of an agency that cuts against the quote-unquote America first agenda, it's probably the agency that sends money in foreign aid overseas. The White House sent out a list of

That's not just saying, oh, there's $38 billion we want to trim out. No, this is an evil institution in his mind. And if you are looking for the platonic ideal of an agency that cuts against the quote-unquote America first agenda, it's probably the agency that sends money in foreign aid overseas. The White House sent out a list of

of things that they say that the USAID is doing that do not align with the president's agenda. They picked out, you know, examples that relate to diversity, equity, and inclusion around the world. And

of things that they say that the USAID is doing that do not align with the president's agenda. They picked out, you know, examples that relate to diversity, equity, and inclusion around the world. And

Basically, the impression that the White House has sought to create in the public mind is this is a quote-unquote woke agency run by radical lunatics, in Trump's words, that is spreading left-wing gender ideology around the world, and we're going to shut it down to save taxpayer money.

Basically, the impression that the White House has sought to create in the public mind is this is a quote-unquote woke agency run by radical lunatics, in Trump's words, that is spreading left-wing gender ideology around the world, and we're going to shut it down to save taxpayer money.

So it's really interesting. After Trump won the election, won the popular vote, Democrats have been just a mess, you know, divided, everyone coming up with different theories about why they lost, depressed, some of them capitulating. But we've just seen in the last few days the resistance starting to awaken. And it's actually not Trump who's awakened them. It's oddly Elon Musk.

So it's really interesting. After Trump won the election, won the popular vote, Democrats have been just a mess, you know, divided, everyone coming up with different theories about why they lost, depressed, some of them capitulating. But we've just seen in the last few days the resistance starting to awaken. And it's actually not Trump who's awakened them. It's oddly Elon Musk.

We're starting to see organized labor rally against him. You're seeing lawsuits being filed.