By Enyichukwu Enemanna
US President Donald Trump has applauded tech billionaire and head of his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Elon Musk, for doing a good job but urged him to be “more aggressive” in implementing his reform agenda to cut back the federal government.
“Elon is doing a great job, but I would like to see him get more aggressive,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on Saturday. “Remember, we have a country to save.”
Following the appointment of the Tesla CEO, Trump tasked him with slashing public spending and tackling waste and alleged corruption.
Musk, the largest donor during Trump’s campaign, has since his appointment led efforts to lay off a large number of federal workers in a bid to cut governance costs.
In the latest cuts announced on Friday, the US Defence Department will reduce its civilian workforce by at least five per cent starting next week.
Trump’s administration has already begun firing many other federal workers who are on probationary status.
On Thursday, a judge denied a union bid to temporarily halt the firing of thousands of workers.
Musk has recommended a number of reforms, including calling for the scrapping of USAID, which a Republican congressman claimed was being used to finance terror with billions of dollars from taxpayers.
At a right-wing gathering on Thursday, Musk metaphorically received a chainsaw in support of his cost-cutting campaign.
