White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt raised eyebrows during a briefing on Wednesday when she said Elon Musk is self-policing potential conflicts of interest that may arise between his business empire and his role in running the non-official Department of Government Efficiency, which is seeking to slash public spending.
A reporter noted to Leavitt that Musk — the richest person in the world who spent almost $300 million backing Trump’s 2024 campaign — is titled as a “special government employee” but “also owns companies that have billions of dollars in federal contracts.”
The journalist then asked: “You said earlier this week that he has abided by all applicable federal laws, but what steps is the Trump administration taking to address that conflict of interest?”
The press secretary replied: “The president was already asked and answered this question this week and he said if Elon Musk comes across a conflict of interest with the contracts and the funding that DOGE is overseeing, then Elon will excuse himself from those contracts. And he has again abided by all applicable laws.”
Many critics issued the same sceptical response on social media: