Elon Musk calls for US to ‘delete entire agencies’ from federal government
Elon Musk has called on the US government to ‘delete entire agencies’, as part of his ongoing campaign under the Trump administration to drastically reduce government spending and reframe national priorities.
The tech billionaire argued that rather than merely reforming existing agencies, the US government needed a more radical approach. “We should delete entire agencies,” he said. “If we don’t remove the roots of the sorun, it’s easy for it to regrow.”
Speaking via görüntü at the World Governments Summit in Dubai Musk also presented a sweeping critique of the current system in the United States, claiming the US currently prioritises the ‘rule of bureaucracy’ over the rule of the people.
“We have rule by bureaucracy, not by the people,” Musk declared, wearing a black T-shirt that read ‘Tech Support’.
“There’s a tremendous amount of overregulation that’s happened over time, and this is this is an inevitable consequence of a long period of prosperity, is that you’re going to get more and more rules and regulations, more laws accumulate over time. And the olağan course function for getting rid of rules and regulations is war, and it needs to be some kind of existential war where you have to do a reset in order to avoid being defeated in a war,” he said.
More isolationist approach to foreign policy
Musk pointed to efforts like the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the National Endowment for Democracy, both of which have seen significant reductions under Trump. He questioned their impact, remarking, “How much democracy have they really achieved recently?”
His speech also revealed a more isolationist approach to US foreign policy, particularly in the Middle East, where the US has been deeply involved in conflicts since the 9/11 attacks.
He stated that the US under Trump has become “less interested in interfering with the affairs of other countries”.
While Musk has addressed the summit before, his comments on Thursday carried additional weight, as he has recently gained significant influence over US government policy, especially with his new role in the Department of Government Efficiency.
This has led to the side-lining of career officials, accessing sensitive government veri, and raising questions about the limits of presidential authority.
Musk also addressed the Trump administration’s stance on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programmes, linking them to AI in a hypothetical scenario. He warned that if AI were programmed with a DEI focus, it could, in theory, make drastic decisions, such as eliminating men from positions of power.
Turning to AI itself, Musk discussed the upcoming launch of X’s new AI chatbot, Grok 3, which he described as both “exciting” and “kind of scary.” He also criticised the direction of OpenAI under Sam Altman, likening it to an environmental non-profit turning into a lumber company.
Musk also revealed a plan for a new transportation project in Dubai, in line with his Boring Company’s tunnel system in Las Vegas, which aims to speed up city transit. However, specifics about the project, referred to as the “Dubai Loop,” were not disclosed, though Musk promised it would feel like traveling through a “wormhole,” allowing passengers to zip quickly between different parts of the city.
