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Home » Transcript of Elon Musk on Verdict with Senator Ted Cruz Podcast (Part 1)

Transcript of Elon Musk on Verdict with Senator Ted Cruz Podcast (Part 1)

Read the full transcript of Elon Musk’s interview by Senator Ted Cruz and Ben Ferguson for a discussion about D.O.G.E. and the first 50 days of the Trump Administration, premiered Mar 17, 2025.  

TRANSCRIPT:

Introduction at the White House

INTERVIEWER: Welcome. It is Verdict with Senator Ted Cruz, Ben Ferguson with you. And today is a really fun day, Senator, because we have a special guest and we’re in a special place. I’m going to let you do the rest of the intro.

INTERVIEWER: Well, we’re in the White House right now and we’re here with my friend Elon Musk, who really has not been doing much of anything, has not made any news, and nobody has noticed the impact. Welcome, Elon.

ELON MUSK: Thank you.

INTERVIEWER: Holy crap.

ELON MUSK: Yes. Wow.

INTERVIEWER: Let me just say never a dull moment. Never a dull moment. The first 50 days the President has spent in office over the top and the first 50 days you’ve spent, I don’t think there’s ever been anyone to have an impact the way you have.

Comparing Twitter to the Federal Government

INTERVIEWER: Well, let me start with a question. You know a lot about which was worse, the mess you found at Twitter or the mess you found in the federal government?

ELON MUSK: Well, it’s hard to compete with the federal government.

INTERVIEWER: What surprised you about the federal government? I assume you came in and assumed it was bad. Is it worse than you expected?

ELON MUSK: It is worse than I expected. But on the plus side, that means there’s more opportunity for improvement. So if you look on the bright side, there’s actually a lot of opportunity for improvement in federal government expenditures. Because it’s so bad, if it was a well-run ship, it would be very difficult to improve.

ELON MUSK: So now it’s like if people say, well, how will you figure out how to save money in the federal government?