Trump’s 'DOGE' Dept: Elon Musk & Vivek Ramaswamy’s New Role Explained!

In a political landscape, it's essential to prioritize the issues worth worrying about.

As someone who follows the actions of influential billionaires, here’s some perspective: Imagining Donald Trump asking Elon Musk to head up a fictional "department" named after a meme-based cryptocurrency might rank somewhere in the low hundreds on a list of significant concerns.

To put it simply: Musk, the world’s wealthiest individual, wants to stay that way, and aligning with Trump’s vision gives him the image of an eccentric genius backing a strong leader.

Recently, Trump announced that Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, a former pharmaceutical executive and vocal conspiracy theorist, would lead a new "Department of Government Efficiency." Branded as “DOGE”—an obvious reference to the memecoin Musk has helped inflate into a $60 billion valuation—this initiative aims to “cut waste, streamline federal agencies, and reduce excessive regulations,” according to Trump.

However, rather than a true department, it’s a commission that doesn’t actually have any authority; only Congress can authorize departments, and it’s unclear whether lawmakers would support this. Musk and Ramaswamy may offer suggestions, but only elected officials hold the power to enact changes.

Trump has likened the project to a modern “Manhattan Project,” while Musk, on social media, hinted at marketing merchandise for the concept.

Commentators have pointed out the irony: a "department" focused on efficiency, led by two showmen rather than financial experts. Gordon L. Johnson II, a Musk critic and CEO of GLJ Research, described DOGE as a powerless committee designed to boost billionaire egos, noting Musk’s tendency to make promises that overlook the realities of government processes.