Economy

Eugene

(64,190 posts) Sun Mar 23, 2025, 08:08 AM Mar 23

Trump allies press the White House to dial back Elon Musk's media interviews over his Social Security jabs

Source: NBC News

Trump allies press the White House to dial back Elon Musk's media interviews over his Social Security jabs

Republicans are voicing concerns about Musk’s downsizing efforts, which include closing some Social Security offices and curtailing telephone services.

March 23, 2025, 5:00 AM EDT
By Kristen Welker, Allan Smith, Sahil Kapur, Yamiche Alcindor and Matt Dixon

After his election, Donald Trump told NBC News that “we’re not touching Social Security,” other than to make it more efficient. But Elon Musk, who now wields enormous power in his role cutting government spending, has recently made comments critical of the program that are coming into conflict with Trump’s promise and worrying members of the president’s own party.

Those concerns have prompted some Trump allies to question whether the billionaire should continue to do so many media interviews, four people familiar with the matter told NBC News.

A particularly problematic remark came during Musk’s conversation with media personality Joe Rogan in late February, in which he described Social Security as “the biggest Ponzi scheme of all time.” A couple of weeks later, the billionaire once again went after Social Security, this time in an interview with Fox Business host Larry Kudlow. Musk, when discussing entitlement spending he deemed wasteful or fraudulent, said the program was “the big one to eliminate.”

Musk pointed to a 2024 report from the Government Accountability Office that estimated the entire federal government could lose between “$233 billion and $521 billion annually to fraud.”

-snip-

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/elon-musk-social-security-concern-trump-allies-rcna197527

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Trump allies press the White House to dial back Elon Musk's media interviews over his Social Security jabs (Original Post) Eugene Mar 23 OP

They don't object to what he's doing, C_U_L8R Mar 23 #1

They're not concerned about what Eloon is doing. They just don't want him to talk about it. Ocelot II Mar 23 #2

More interviews ! Bigger audiences ! Higher-profile events ! TURN MUSK (N-ZA) LOOSE ON STAGE ! eppur_se_muova Mar 23 #3

Musk is as much of an attention hog as Trump - they won't be able to shut him up. Ocelot II Mar 23 #4

I prefer "attention whore" for both of them. I may start using AWIC ... Attention Whore In Chief ... eppur_se_muova Mar 23 #5

One distinction: Whores get paid for their services. Ocelot II Mar 23 #6

Attention IS their payment. They demand CONSTANT attention. nt eppur_se_muova Mar 23 #7

C_U_L8R

(46,877 posts)

1. They don't object to what he's doing,

Reply to Eugene (Original post)

Sun Mar 23, 2025, 08:14 AM

Mar 23

Just that the American people are finding out about it.

What fuckheads.

Ocelot II

(123,942 posts)

2. They're not concerned about what Eloon is doing. They just don't want him to talk about it.

Reply to Eugene (Original post)

Sun Mar 23, 2025, 09:07 AM

Mar 23

eppur_se_muova

(38,683 posts)

3. More interviews ! Bigger audiences ! Higher-profile events ! TURN MUSK (N-ZA) LOOSE ON STAGE !

Reply to Eugene (Original post)

Sun Mar 23, 2025, 09:37 AM

Mar 23

He is an outstanding expert at one, and probably only one thing -- making himself, and everything he's associated with, look as bad as they obviously are. Musk could probably lose the next election for every R now holding office if he really supported them vigorously enough !

One overzealous advocate can do as much harm to his adopted cause as any number of opponents.