Versions :<123456Live>
Snapshot 2:Wed, Nov 13, 2024 12:04:20 PM GMT last edited by TylerJ

Trump Announces Musk, Ramaswamy, to Lead DOGE; Hegeth Picked as Defense Secretary

Trump GivesAnnounces Elon Musk, andRamaswamy, Foxto NewsLead HostDOGE; KeyHegeth JobsPicked as Defense Secretary

Above: Elon Musk, chief executive officer of Tesla Inc., right, speaks on stage with former US President Donald Trump during a campaign event at the Butler Farm Show in Butler, Pennsylvania, US, on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. Image copyright: Justin Merriman/Bloomberg via Getty Images

The Facts

  • President-elect Donald Trump has announced that Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy will lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) within the former President's second administration.

  • Within Trump's statement, the President-elect claims DOGE will "dismantle Government Bureaucracy" and "become, potentially, "The Manhattan Project" of our time." The statement also notes that DOGE's work will end "no later" than July 4, 2026.


The Spin

The jobs of Musk, Ramaswamy, and Hegseth are clear: to break the establishment status quo, disrupt the political norms that have damaged America, and to deliver a federal government that truly acts on behalf of the people. For far too long the swamp of bureaucratic red tape and an entrenched belief in forever wars has benefited the interests of the few rather than the many. With appointments like these, Trump's administration is destined to be a breath of fresh air and will finally jolt the country back in the right direction.

Underneath the irony of Trump's decision to place two individuals in charge of the Department of Government Efficiency lies deep concern over the appointments made by the President-elect. While Musk may have been demoted to a joint job that won't exist in 18 months, there are serious questions over whether placing government contractors in charge of federal spending oversight is at all legal. Alongside the appointment of a Fox host lacking any serious political experience as secretary of defense, it does not take a genius to predict that the Trump administration will soon begin to unravel.


Metaculus Prediction



Sign up to our daily newsletter