It’s been a busy month in D.C. for Elon Musk. WSJ’s Tim Higgins joins Ryan Knutson and Molly Ball to discuss what Musk’s strategies as a CEO can tell us about his plans for DOGE and the federal government. Plus, we get into Trump’s relationship with the judiciary and take a question from a listener about American expansionism. Further Reading: -Musk Brings His Business Playbook to Washington: Move Fast and Claim Victory -DOGE, Musk and Trump—Our Reporters Answered Your Questions Further Listening: -R.I.P. CFPB? -Trump 2.0: Less Foreign Aid, More Tariffs Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Full Episode
Molly Ball, senior political correspondent. How are you?
I'm good, Ryan. How are you doing?
I'm good. So today I want to talk about Doge. Last year when Elon Musk started talking about the Department of Government Efficiency or Doge, I wasn't sure how big of a deal it would actually be because it almost seemed like it was a joke at first. I mean, you know, it's named after a dog meme.
But less than a month into Trump's presidency, Doge and Elon Musk have actually been one of the most significant forces in the Trump administration.
Yeah, I mean, he seems to be everywhere. And Washington is still sort of stunned by how ubiquitous he is and how much wide-ranging personal latitude he seems to have been given to just roam around the White House doing stuff. On the other hand, we don't really know what power he has because his role is so poorly defined and may be reined in by some of these court decisions. So...
It's a bit of a mystery.
A mystery that we will try to solve. From the Journal, this is Trump 2.0. I'm Ryan Knutson.
And I'm Molly Ball.
It's Friday, February 14th. Coming up, Doge. It used to be just a meme, and now it's taking apart the federal government. We'll also talk about the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the mayor of New York, Canada, Greenland, Gaza. Stay tuned.
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