Tesla CEO Elon Musk, tapped by President-elect to lead a new Department of Government Efficiency, spoke at the America First Policy Institute at Mar-a-Lago in Florida, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024.
A Silicon Valley CEO who supported Vice President Kamala Harris in the last election now says he hopes Democrats work with billionaire Elon Musk and President-elect Donald Trump to slash regulations.
Box CEO Aaron Levie praised Trump’s selection of Musk to head the proposed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in an interview on the “Politico Tech” podcast. The extra-governmental office will seek to eliminate trillions of dollars in “waste and fraud” within the federal government, according to Musk.
“I don’t think there’s a better person for this particular task, let’s say, than Elon, because of how resistant the government normally would be to this type of change,” Levie said on Friday.
The Box CEO observed that Musk has successfully solved complex problems with his companies, pointing to the rockets launched by SpaceX and innovations in electric cars at Tesla. Musk has said he will bring “common sense” to the government and initiate a “revolution” that will “liberate our economy” from excessive government spending.
ELON MUSK SAYS HIS ROLE IN TRUMP’S EFFICIENCY DEPARTMENT ‘IS GOING TO BE A REVOLUTION’
Aaron Levie, chief executive officer and co-founder of Box Inc., speaks during the BoxWorks 2019 Conference at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, on Thursday, Oct. 3, 2019. BoxWorks brings together leaders across the technology sector to define the (Michael Short/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Levie said Democrats should allow Musk and the Trump administration to try. He also urged Democrats to rethink their hostility toward Musk and other successful businessmen in the aftermath of their devastating 2024 election losses.
“Somehow they built up this animosity with Elon, and I’ve never thought it made any sense,” Levie said. “It’s not only a bad political strategy — see this election — but it’s just bad for the country.”
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BOX | BOX INC. | 34.28 | -0.39 | -1.12% |
ELON MUSK, VIVEK RAMASWAMY TO LEAD TRUMP’S DEPARTMENT OF GOVERNMENT EFFICIENCY
Elon Musk speaks before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Musk will head the efficiency department with former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. The billionaire has been part of Trump’s campaign for the White House and made a couple of appearances at rallies before the election.
His influence with Trump has reportedly grown since the election.
MUSK AND RAMASWAMY’S DOGE OPENS HIRING ON X
Elon Musk attends the America First Policy Institute Gala held at Mar-a-Lago on Nov. 14, 2024, in Palm Beach, Florida. President-elect Donald Trump has been announcing a number of nominees for his upcoming administration. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images / Getty Images)
According to the New York Times, Musk has sat in on calls with foreign leaders, including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and plans to meet in person this week with Argentinian President Javier Milei when Milei visits Mar-a-Lago. He has also reportedly attended interviews with potential cabinet nominees and dined with Trump on several occasions.
Musk also reportedly met with Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations in New York for a discussion on how to deescalate tensions between the U.S. and Iran, the Times reported Thursday.
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The Trump transition team would not comment on the reported meeting and could neither confirm nor deny to the paper that it occurred. FOX Business’ request for comment was unanswered.
Musk infamously does not respond to media inquiries.