But the two men dont have any official authority to do those things.
At least not yet, according to longstanding norms.
Elon and I, were not politicians.
Donald Trump greets Elon Musk at a test flight of the SpaceX Starship rocket on November 19, 2024 in Brownsville, Texas.© Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images
Were not going in as government bureaucrats or even employees.
Were outside volunteers, Ramaswamy said in avideo posted Wednesday to YouTube.
Why would Ramaswamy and Musk work as volunteers?
Apparently, its because they just love the country so much and has nothing to do with their self-interest.
Its surely just a coincidence that Musk has made his fortune on the backs of government subsidies and contracts.
Ramaswamy made his fortune in pharmaceuticals.
These guys have a lot at stake.
And thats why theyre going to launch a podcast to tell everyone about what theyre up to.
And what is a once-in-a-generation project?
That new dawn will be more like a sunset for American democracy from the perspective of half the country.
The U.S. oligarchs wrote an op-ed in theWall Street Journalpublished Wednesday trying to justify their goals.
From the Journal:
Skeptics question how much federal spending DOGE can tame through executive action alone.
They point to the 1974 Impoundment Control Act, which stops the president from ceasing expenditures authorized by Congress.
Theres a good chance theyd deploy artificial intelligence tools like Musks Grok, but we simply dont know yet.
We dont want DOGE to exist forever, Ramaswamy said in hisnew video.
Thats the 250th anniversary of the American Declaration of Independence.
And thats what we hope to help play a role in delivering for them.
Trump, of course, hates when other people get more attention than him.
And Musks latestTime magazine coverwill surely irk Trump.
And nobody can really predict what will come next.
Matt Gaetz just withdrew his nomination for Attorney General on Thursday, which was quite a surprise.
So all bets are off for the foreseeable future.
If you think you know for certain how this all shakes out, youre probably kidding yourself.
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