
Elon Musk 'chainsaw for bureaucracy' interview by JD Vance at CPAC! #ElonMusk Source: PBS News Follow me on X https://x.com/Astronautman627?t=RFQEunSF2NwRkCOBc6PkkQ&s=09
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B
That was something.
A
I am become Meme. Yeah, pretty much I'm living the meme. It's like there's living the dream and there's living the meme, and it's pretty much what's happening.
B
You know, you're like, I think you're bigger.
A
I mean, Doge started out as a meme. Think about it. Now it's real. Isn't that crazy?
B
It is. It is crazy.
A
But it's cool.
B
Let me ask you this. A year ago, if someone had told you you'd be at CPAC and working with the president to absolutely shred the government, the swamp, whatever you want to call it, would you ever believe that?
A
No.
B
No.
A
Me neither. But it's cool. This is awesome. And I just want to say, you know, thanks for your support. I mean, guys are, you know, so. I mean, you know, we're trying to get. To get good things done, but also, like, you know, have a good time doing it and, you know, and have, like, a sense of humor, you know, so, like, I mean, sort of the left wanted to make comedy illegal. You know, you can't make fun of anything. So then it was like, comedy sucks. It's like, nothing's funny. You can't make fun of anything. It's like, legalize comedy. Yeah, legalize comedy.
B
And we've shifted the entire culture in just the last few months. The whole culture of this country has shifted dramatically just because of that election.
A
Yeah, exactly. You know, freedom of speech, you know, having fun again. It seems like we should. We should have a good time. You know, it.
B
I mean, it's a great time. Everybody in this place is so excited. And I haven't. I mean, when you talk to conservatives, everybody's happy.
A
Yeah.
B
And everybody feels this great sense of relief because we were going to hell for about four years. It really felt bad, especially toward the end. It felt really bad.
A
Yeah. I mean, I thought we. I thought we were sort of heading for a point of no return, really, you know, until. That's why it was so essential that President Trump win the election and. And that there'd be a Republican majority in the House and Senate, which, thanks to you, that that has been accomplished.
B
Yeah. Yeah. I want to ask you, one of the biggest questions I have for you is you've been, you know, politically. Politically, you weren't really on one side or the other for a long time. You're a businessman. A lot of people, they stay away from it. Now you're on a side and you've chosen to decide. You're sitting here in a maga hat. What's it, you know, how did that happen? What was the moment?
A
It's like, you know, dark gothic maggots.
B
That's a good one. Was there a specific moment? Was there a moment that it all changed?
A
Yeah, when I realized it was a fool. But no, it was, I guess. Yeah. I mean, I'd say, like, I was politically neutral for. For quite a while, you know. You know, leaning a little Democrat, you know. How do you go from that to this?
B
Yeah.
A
No, no.
B
Well, did they go crazy?
A
Yeah, they did. They did go crazy.
B
Yeah, they went crazy.
A
No, I mean, that whole cancel culture and, you know, it's trying to stop freedom of speech and infringe upon. Just in general infringe upon people's personal freedoms. You know, they just want state control. State control of what you say. They want to, you know, take away your guns. And the reason they want to take away your guns. So, like, there's nothing you do to oppose them. So it's sort of like, you know, I just. I just. Like, we just need to restore the fundamental elements of what made America great, which is freedom and opportunity.
B
We're seeing a lot of these freedoms disappearing in the West. It's not just about America. We're watching. We're all watching Europe and knowing that they're about 50, 100 years ahead of us.
A
Right.
B
Because they got an early start. And we're watching how they're devolving. And you're trying to save it from happening here.
A
I mean, in Europe, they put people in prison for memes.
B
Yeah.
A
You know, I'm like, that's insane.
B
And they're collapsing. I mean, this society is. It's a collapsing society. It feels that way. It feels like France was nicer 50 years ago than it is today. Yeah, I don't think you can question that.
A
Yeah. So. But yeah, I mean, really. Thanks. I love you, too. I do love you. I mean, I really just wanted to do useful things, like, you know, basically build products, you know, provide products and services that are good and that. That. I wasn't really, like, that interested in being political. It just, like, there was, at a certain point, no choice. Yeah. So. Yeah.
B
Can I ask you what. On the same side of that coin, what's it like from Going neutral to being vilified, largely vilified by the media.
A
What? No, really.
B
I mean, you turn on some of these channels, brother, I mean, they don't, they're angry. Does it bother you at all?
A
I mean, when they're chanting for my death, I suppose that's a little, you know, and then like the song's not even that good and it's like, like you call that a death chant? That's nothing. Please.
B
They've been singing a lot.
A
Good music.
B
There's a lot of music lately. It's not good music either. Yeah, yeah, I would say that they're, you know, watching. What you're doing with Doge is just. People love it. I mean, I've always looked at the government and I've, I've always looked at the government. I've seen this big machine that. And you just know that they waste because they don't care. Nobody could. There's more money coming. They don't care. You're cutting all this out. Everybody in this country, country knows that the government is full of waste, fraud and abuse and you're doing the work. And the Americans love it. Watching their reaction politically to this, I can't believe how bad they are at responding to this. I don't know how you're going to sit there and, and scream and complain because they're cutting waste out of the government and try to win another election. How do you try to win on that?
A
Well, at this point I'm like, I'm not sure how much of the left is even real.
B
Yeah. You know, how much was propped up by our money, you know?
A
Yeah, yeah. Like literally, you know, you see like these, these sort of fake rallies where there's like hardly any, any people and the media will like frame it and like, you know, get all six people, you know, in the frame. But there's like, nobody else is there, like just, it doesn't have popular support. But, but, but there's, but, but then you, then you, you learn that like there's hundreds of billions of dollars going to these so called NGOs. Yeah, that, that, that. And it's your tax dollars that are funding things that are fundamentally anti American.
B
And they're propping up their narrative.
A
Yes.
B
A lot of that government money has been propping up a left that I don't think is as strong as they made it seem.
A
In fact, a massive amount of, of your tax dollars is going to legacy media companies.
B
Yes.
A
Directly from the, from, from the government.
B
The government wants to take over media.
A
Yeah, It's Terrible. Yeah.
B
That's why we have X. Yeah.
A
And that's.
B
That's why you spent $44 billion. I mean, that's a lot of money.
A
I mean, more than it was probably.
B
Worth, but it had a. There was a message.
A
Freedom is priceless.
B
Priceless. Yeah. Probably one of the most important investments this country's ever seen. If you got to protect the First Amendment, it's not much more important than that.
A
Yeah. I got a lot of criticism, and people said, well, that proves he's a huge idiot from a, you know, like, look, you know, he bought it for whatever, $44 billion, and now it's worth, like, 8 cents. And it's not worth 8 cents. But, you know, that is that. But the. Yeah, it was essentially to, you know, buy freedom of expression. And.
B
Yeah, once that's gone, it's all over. It's all over.
A
Yeah.
B
Tyrannies really quick after that.
A
Yeah. I mean, like, you know, so all the. All the sort of federal money going to media companies is what. What helps explain why the legacy media all says the same thing at the same time?
B
Yeah.
A
Like, isn't it, like. It's, like, weird, like, you put them up where it's like, you know, like.
B
When they're mouthpieces for the state. For the state.
A
Yes.
B
And that's. That's what we've come to know.
A
Yeah.
B
Scary.
A
And I like that. That meme when they were there, because they're always saying, like, threat to our democracy is that threat. But if you just replaced democracy with bureaucracy, it makes a lot of sense.
B
Makes perfect sense. Yeah.
A
Big threats to the bureaucracy.
B
That's exactly right. Let's talk about. Let's talk about these DOGE dividend checks that everybody's talking about this week. And I know you tweeted out that you're going to. Is everybody want, like, a $5,000 check in the mail? It sounds kind of good. Right. And the best part about it, knowing where it came from, that that's five grand that you sent them last year.
A
Totally. It's money that's taken away from. From things that are destructive to the country, that. And from organizations that hate you to you. That's awesome.
B
Is it. Does it seem. I mean, have you talked.
A
I mean, that's, like, glorious. This is. That's, like the spoils of battle, you know?
B
I like that. Is there. Is there traction on that?
A
Yeah. Yeah. So, yeah, talk to the president. He's supportive of that. And so it sounds like, you know, that's something we're going to Do.
B
Yep.
A
So as we're finding savings, that's going to translate directly to reductions in tax. So.
B
Yeah, I mean, I think they fired 6,000 people at the IRS today. And I think Lutnick said last night that they're talking about shutting down the irs. And I think it's fair. I think people should realize this is, I mean, the amount of money that we said we send Washington like 5 or 6 trillion a year, that is such an ungodly amount of money. I mean, what do they say? They say like a trillion seconds is like 30 years or something like that. I mean, that's how much we send them and they seem to never have enough. There must be a lot you can cut.
A
No, absolutely. People ask me, what's the most surprising thing that you've encountered when you go to D.C. you know, when you're in D.C. and I said, well, most surprising thing is the scale of the expenditures and actually how easy it is to. With just when you add caring and competence where it was absent before, you can actually save billions of dollars sometimes in this. In an hour. It's wild.
B
And then they scoff at it and say, oh, a few billion here there. I mean, the way they're talking about it, they, you can see they don't care. It's, it's so it's such little money compared to how much they're used to wasting. That's what's really scary.
A
Yeah, no, I mean, it's. Exactly. But obviously it's, it's, it just shows that they really lack empathy for the average taxpayer who's working hard, paying taxes. And then, and then they say, oh, a million dollars doesn't matter. I'm like, I think it matters a lot, people, you know, so. What are you talking about?
B
I'd like to have it. Let me ask you a question. I, you know, I know the President fairly well. Watched him survive two assassination attempts. The second, had the first one not happened, the second one would have gotten him. You know, it was very. Because without those extra guys, they would have never seen that gun poking through the fence at the golf course.
A
I saw it, like mind blowing that this has happened. I mean, it just. And what, by the way, why do we still know nothing about that guy in Butler, what's going on.
B
But he's.
A
Cash is going to get to the bottom of it.
B
Yeah, there you go. By the way.
A
Yeah.
B
Confirm confirmed just a couple hours ago. But I saw that the security detail that you had come in is enormous.
A
Well, it's that enormous. Maybe it should Be Vega.
B
I think you could probably afford it. But I mean, how concerned are you about your safety? Dealing. I mean, it's. You are. You are a wanted man? Are you. Are you nervous?
A
So, look, I'm open to ideas for improving security. I have to tell you, like, I don't actually have a death wish, I think, but. But you know, it's not that easy. So. Yeah, I mean, but I have like, I've had even like people like President Bukele from El Salvador who managed to put in prison like 100,000 like, murderous thugs. And he was like, he called me, he's like, I'm worried about your security. I'm like, you. You're worried about my security? I'm like, what? Okay.
B
You know, I mean, yeah, talk about guts to do that down there. I mean.
A
Yeah, totally.
B
And survive.
A
Like, I'm like. I was like, how did you put all those thugs in prison without dying? Because it seems like that would have been not easy, you know.
B
Well, there's a. The president has. One of his top attorneys is now investigating, I guess Chuck Schumer for threats against Scott. So does congressman on the Democrat side. They're saying, you know, basically saying, we're going to bring a war to you, like a fight to you. I mean, the rhetoric. You guys are screwing with things that are not supposed to be messed with.
A
And we're fighting the Matrix.
B
A lot of people that really don't want that to happen.
A
Yeah, we're fighting the Matrix big time here. Yeah, but that's got to be done.
B
Yeah, and it certainly does. What's. What's going on with. Tell us about Fort Knox. Yeah, it's Kentucky. It's a military base. It's a ton of gold. Tons and tons and tons.
A
5,000 tons of gold or 5,000 or.
B
Take are there in the ground. And like this, I mean, it's a very secure. We all want to see it. I'd love to see it.
A
Like, this is your gold, by the way. It's the public's gold.
B
You think it's not there?
A
I don't know. But we just want to see it. Yeah, we want to go see it and just picture like somebody to spray paint some lead or something, you know? Yeah. Like, is this real gold? Fight the bar, you know, didn't dance. But I think honestly, you know, part of this also is just like, let's, let's, you know, let's have some fun and, and, and, you know, like, like I said, this, this, all this gold at Fort Knox. It's the Public's gold. It's your gold. So, like, I think you have, like, a right to see it.
B
You want to take a tour?
A
You know? Yeah, I think we should have it. Do it. Do it. Turn. The president last night was like, that's not. I think he's in favor of it. That'll be cool. And then it should be like a live tour. Like, you can see what's going on. Open the door. Like, what's behind it. Well, and, you know, I think I'd watch that.
B
Oh, are you kidding?
A
Yeah.
B
I mean, what is. What does 5,000 tons of gold look like? How big is that? Is it. Is it the size of this?
A
It's got to be pretty big, you know?
B
Got to be a lot of.
A
Maybe there's some other stuff in there. Like, just walk around. Like, I don't know. Maybe they got some other stuff in there.
B
Are you thinking about auditing the Federal Reserve as well, which is obviously.
A
Yeah, sure.
B
Regulatory economy. I. I imagine you think the waste has got to be everywhere.
A
Yeah, no, waste. Waste is pretty much everywhere. People ask, like, how can you find waste in, like, in D.C. i'm like, look, it's like being in a room. And this target, the wall, the roofs, and the floor are all targets. So it's like you're gonna close your eyes and go shoot in any direction so you can't miss, you know? So it's. It's. It's pretty wild. Like. Like, you just push on things a little bit and. And you save billions of dollars, like, just a little bit, you know, it's wild.
B
It's scary, isn't it?
A
It's.
B
Right.
A
That's why I say, like, it really is underrated if you add caring and competence. How much things improve. Yeah. And. And, you know, and we just find so many tons, totally crazy things, which, you know, obviously we're sharing with the public. We post everything we learn, you know, just.
B
Yeah.
A
You know, so you can see it, you know?
B
What do you mean?
A
And, like, it's like. Isn't it, like, it's totally wild. Like, we did just. We just did, like, a Check the database on Social Security, like, says, how many. A lot. Americans alive Americans eligible for Social Security are there. And according to the database, it's over 400 million. And we're like, wait a second.
B
And how many are going to open your. Yeah.
A
And then, like, we found, like, one person in there is, like, 360 years old. I'm like, what? They know, Ben.
B
I mean, yeah.
A
You know, America didn't exist before, at that time, like, so. So, yeah, we were colonies, you know, Maybe it's just me, but I think it's a red flag. I don't know.
B
But are there indications that those. That there were checks going to those people or any of those people? Well, yes, I guess the question right.
A
This.
B
I mean, I get the Social Security Administration is dumb, but are they paying these people? Are they that dumb? I don't know.
A
A bunch of money is going out from the Social Security Administration and in fact, from all entitlements programs.
B
70 billion in waste in, like seven years. That's 10 billion a year.
A
Well, I think the fraudulent payments, the rough estimate from General Government Accountability offices is over $500 billion of fraud a year. 500 billion.
B
And how long the time per year? Per year. On Social Security?
A
No, no, on all.
B
On all government.
A
On all entitlements. All entitlements, yeah.
B
Yeah.
A
It sort of actually makes sense when you look at the thing from a top level and say, like, okay, the $7 trillion of spending by the government, what percentage do you think is fraudulent? Okay, exactly. Like a conservative estimate of the 7 trillion would be 10%. Conservative.
B
Probably a little higher than that. Yeah, exactly. Feels like a quarter every dollar. Right.
A
But if the fraud's only 10% of 7 trillion, you've got $700 billion of fraud.
B
Yeah.
A
And by the way, it's like, really easy to take advantage of the federal government. Very easy. Very easy.
B
Look at Covid.
A
Yes.
B
Everybody got rich during COVID I mean.
A
Look at all these scammers.
B
I mean, it's unbelievable.
A
We, We. It. It looks like for. In terms of the COVID payments.
B
Yeah.
A
There was something like $200 billion of. Of COVID payment fraud taken by fraudsters out of the country.
B
Out of the country. Yeah.
A
That's like, like, I think, listen, if there's going to be fraud, it should at least be domestic.
B
Yeah.
A
So, you know, but they managed to get $200 billion out of the country. I'm like, what? Didn't we notice that?
B
Let me ask you. Let's do immigration here for a second. You know, there's this move now that Trump's latest thing is that he cut. He's going to cut funding any kind of money that ends up in the hands of illegal immigrants. So if you're funding these sanctuary cities and states, that's how they thrive. Right. They're paying for these hotels. That's all federal money. If you got a hotel in your city, in New York, you got all these hotels, hotels full of Migrants. That's not state money. That's the feds are covering that. He's going to cut all that. It's really hard to deport 15 million people. And it seems like the move now is, let's see if we. Especially at the rate that we're going, it seems like the move now is let's make it so that they leave on their own. If there's no longer a dull system for them, if they can't get their hands on hotel rooms and money, they're going to go back, especially if there's no work.
A
Well, I think it's really important for people that understand that the Biden administration sent any possible money that they could, if there was money they could send to facilitate and amplify illegal immigration, they sent it. Okay. They took money from FEMA meant for helping Americans in distress and sent that money to luxury hotels for illegal immigrants in New York. That is a, an outrage. They actually did that. And not only that, even after the President signed an executive order saying it has to stop the fema, the sort of whatever deep state bureaucrats still pressed send on $80 million last week to go to the Roosevelt Hotel in New York and other places last week. And now they're mad that it got stopped and they're like trying to sue to have it be restored. It's like the gumption is you think.
B
They'Re creating a new voter class? Would you think that was the goal when they open up the borders for four years, create a new voter class, get them citizenship, get them in.
A
Yeah, a lot of these things, like you don't actually have to assume some grand conspiracy. You just need to look at basic incentives, benefits. So if the incentives fundamentally, if the probability that an illegal is going to vote Democrat at some point, whether it's, you know, cheating, but eventually they can become citizens. But if the probability is like 80, 90%, just look at California, which is super majority dam. And then the incentive is to maximize the number of illegals in the country. That is why the Biden administration was pushing to get in as many illegals as possible and spend every dollar possible to get as many. Because every one of them is a customer. Everyone is a, a voter.
B
Yeah.
A
So the whole thing was a giant voter importation scam.
B
Pretty obvious.
A
Very obvious. And then moreover, then they, they actually created the CVP1 voter app thing where they were, which is like where they could, they would literally fly people in. It's not like, like at the point at which, you know, people are being flown in at, at Your expense.
B
Sending planes, building a wall, fly them over the board.
A
Yeah. They're literally flying him in.
B
No other, no other country in the world would do something like this. Nobody is as stupid.
A
Yeah. And then we found that it was like a hundred million dollar contract given to some guy in London, actually. Oddly enough.
B
Yeah.
A
For the CVP1 app. So. So then. So they're flying illegals into the swing states.
B
Yeah.
A
And. And if you've got like a margin of victory of maybe 20,000 people and you fly 200,000 illegals into that state, it's not going to be a swing state for long.
B
Change the numbers eventually. Yeah. Maybe in four or eight years. You're.
A
Exactly. Just a matter of.
B
It's a long game.
A
It's just a matter of time. So it might take like a year for an asylum seeker or something to get on the. To get a green card, then five years for the citizenship. It's an investment that is guaranteed to pay off. Just a question of when they all.
B
Remember who brought them in and who left them here.
A
Exactly, exactly.
B
I want to go back.
A
I want to talk about, like, I think a lot of people don't quite appreciate that this was an actual real scam at scale to tilt the scales of democracy in America.
B
Treason.
A
Treason, yeah.
B
One more Biden question. I remember when, you know, when they would do the electric car stuff, they would always try to box you out even though you have the only electric car anybody wants.
A
Yeah.
B
You said, I think this week that you think that Biden left these astronauts up in space because he didn't want to give you an opportunity to save them. Make NASA look bad, make the private sector look better, make you look good. You believe that?
A
Yeah, absolutely. So of course I kind of agree. I mean, I.
B
Why would he want to let you help them come down when you're supporting the President?
A
The Biden administration was attacking me next level. I mean, the Department of Justice or injustice under the Biden administration was. I mean, they were suing SpaceX. They were suing SpaceX for not hiring asylum seekers. And we're like. But it's actually illegal for us to hire asylum seekers because we're. Rocket technology is covered under ITAR rules, which means it's an advanced weapons technology. And so we can only hire permanent residents or green or citizens. Right. Like so. So we're damned if we do, damned if we don't. We said, like, so how can they sue us for not hiring asylum seekers when it's actually illegal for us to do so? But nonetheless, there was a big Department of Justice or injustice case about this against SpaceX. So obviously it was an antagonistic situation. And those astronauts were supposed to be up there for eight days, and now they're up there for eight months. Does that make any sense? And we obviously could have brought them back sooner, but they didn't want it to want anyone who supported President Trump to look good, basically. Yeah, that's the, that's the, that's the issue.
B
The, A lot of them are saying right now that the reason that you want to get into Social Security, that you want to get into all of these different, into treasury and things like that, is that you're looking for personal information and you're trying to make more money.
A
Yeah.
B
I've never met anybody as rich as you that cared less about money in my life. Every time I hear a story about you, you're sleeping on a couch of some other guy in a city that you could buy the entire thing.
A
Yeah, I'm like, I don't think you.
B
Care about money, do you?
A
No, actually, I mean, listen, like, if I, if I steal some Social Security, I can finally buy nice things. Yes.
B
And on that same question, they're also talking about, you guys are going to end Social Security, you're going to end Medicare, you're going to end these things. I don't imagine that conversation has been had with the President. And that's the plan.
A
No, in fact, the actions that we're taking with the support of the President and the support of the agencies is what will save Medicare, what will save Social Security. And, and because if the country goes insolvent, if, if all, if all the money is just spent on paying interest on debt, there's no money left for anything.
B
Yeah.
A
So that's, that's the reason I'm doing this, is because I'm, I was looking at the big picture here, and it's like, man, our debt's getting out of control. The, the interest payments. The interest on the national debt now exceeds the entire Defense Department budget. True.
B
Trillion a year in interest just to carry the money that we owe is a trillion a year.
A
Yes.
B
That is unbelievable.
A
And rising rapidly. So, so, like, it's, I mean, a country is no different from a person. Country overspends, country goes bankrupt. Same with, same as a person who overspends goes bankrupt. So it's, it's not like, optional to solve these things. It's essential.
B
So we're gonna go bankrupt?
A
Yes, we are.
B
Couple minutes left here. Russia. There's a huge push from the.
A
Oh, yeah, yeah. People are like, sort of like to end this, say like, yeah, you know, I, I'm a, I'm a bought asset of Putin.
B
Yeah.
A
I'm like, he can't afford me.
B
Yeah, I think, I think you're worth more than Russia.
A
Think about it.
B
So you're trying to, you're trying to end a war. It's. Ending a war always means you have to compromise, you have to negotiate with an enemy or an adversary. That's just what it is. And right now, they are lambasting the President for trying a different method to war that they haven't been able to end for three and a half years or three years.
A
Yeah.
B
They, you know, they're saying Trump's blaming Zelinsky for the invasion. How do you, how do you process all of the negativity toward him for trying to end this war?
A
Well, first of all, I think we should have empathy for the people dying at the front lines. That's the most important thing. If people have been dying, you know, it's like, how many more years is this supposed to go on?
B
Yeah.
A
And imagine if that was your son, your father, you know, what are they dying for? What exactly are they dying for? That line has barely, the line of engagement has barely moved for two years.
B
Yeah.
A
This is how much people dead in trenches for what? And I'll tell you what, for what it's like, for the biggest graph machine that I've ever seen in my life. That's for what. It's, it's unreal. Like, the amount of money that is being taken in graft and bribery is disgusting. And so what's actually happening is that those, you know, people, those poor guys are getting sent into a meat grinder for money. That's what's actually going on.
B
Yeah.
A
And it needs to stop.
B
And that's, I mean, that's. It seems. I mean, Trump is so pragmatic on this. He just, he's just looking at it and he's saying, it's Ukraine. It's not our country, it's not a NATO ally. I just want to see people not dying. I want to see on both sides. I mean, think about how many young, so many young men have died in Ukraine that the army is starting to age out, the military is aging out. You got 40 and 50 year old guys fighting in a war because there's nobody left that's not killed or maimed in their 20s. That is, that's the reality of it. Think about how many people that is. If you're a humanitarian at all, you Just got to end the war, like, no matter what, just get it over with.
A
Yes. People, they need to stop dying. And. And. And the Griff machine's got to stop, you know, so. And I think people that don't. A lot of people out there don't realize, like, the President has a lot of empathy. He really cares, you know, He's a good. He's a good man.
B
So I got one more for you. I've been fascinated by you for a very long time.
A
Thanks.
B
I've just. I just. I've never seen anybody that can, you know, do so many things at the same time. I mean, you've got the rockets, you got the cars. I've always wanted to ask you, what is it like, inside your mind? Like, is it just a thousand miles an hour? I mean, are you.
A
Yeah.
B
Is it just not. I mean, does it ever stop? Do you sleep? How much do you sleep? Paint us a picture of inside of the mind of a genius. Like, how do you do all this? Can you answer that question? It's not an easy question.
A
I mean, my mind is a storm.
B
Yeah.
A
So it's a storm. But, I mean, let me maybe tell you something. Like, you didn't ask a question, but I think it's worth, nonetheless, maybe just elaborating on something which is, you know, I grew up in South Africa, but my morality was informed by America. I read comic books, you know, played Dungeons and Dragons, and I watched American TV shows, and it seemed like America cared about being the good guys, you know, about doing the right thing. And that's actually pretty unusual, by the way. There's like.
B
It's like, in the world. It's very unusual.
A
Yeah. It's not like.
B
Actually, most countries don't do that.
A
No, they don't.
B
No.
A
And so I was like, yeah, you know, you want to be this good, you want to be on the side of good, you want to care about what's right. And. And, yeah, so that's. That's, yeah. What I believe in, you know, So I gave you.
B
I gave you a tough one at the end.
A
Yeah. So.
B
Yeah, that's great. That's great. Elon Musk.
A
All right, thank you.
B
Thank you so much.
Podcast Summary: Elon Musk 'Chainsaw for Bureaucracy' Interview by JD Vance at CPAC
Released on February 21, 2025, "Elon Musk Thinking" hosted by Astronaut Man features a compelling interview between Elon Musk (A) and JD Vance (B) at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). This episode delves deep into Musk's perspectives on politics, government bureaucracy, media control, and his personal philosophies. Below is a detailed summary capturing the key discussions, insights, and conclusions from their conversation.
Timestamp: 00:20 - 00:43
The conversation kicks off with a light-hearted discussion about memes and their significance in modern culture.
Elon Musk: “I am become Meme. Yeah, pretty much I'm living the meme. It's like there's living the dream and there's living the meme, and it's pretty much what's happening.” [00:20]
JD Vance: “I mean, Doge started out as a meme. Think about it. Now it's real. Isn't that crazy?” [00:34]
This segment highlights Musk's acknowledgment of how internet culture, particularly memes like Dogecoin, have transcended their origins to become impactful financial instruments.
Timestamp: 00:43 - 03:28
Musk discusses his political journey and the cultural shifts following recent elections.
Elon Musk: “I'd say, like, I was politically neutral for... leaning a little Democrat... How do you go from that to this?” [03:05]
JD Vance: “The whole culture of this country has shifted dramatically just because of that election.” [01:52]
Musk explains his transition from political neutrality to a more defined conservative stance, citing the rise of cancel culture and threats to freedom of speech as pivotal factors.
Timestamp: 04:13 - 18:30
A substantial portion of the interview centers on the inefficiencies within the U.S. government and Musk's efforts to address them.
Elon Musk: “All the federal money going to media companies is what helps explain why the legacy media all says the same thing at the same time.” [08:53]
JD Vance: “People watch what you're doing with Doge. People love it.” [11:15]
Musk emphasizes the rampant waste, fraud, and abuse in government spending, estimating over $500 billion in fraud annually across all entitlement programs. He discusses initiatives like auditing the Federal Reserve and implementing measures to reduce unnecessary expenditures, illustrating how even minor adjustments can save billions.
Timestamp: 03:28 - 09:05
The duo explores the influence of legacy media and attempts to stifle free speech.
Elon Musk: “It's Terrible. Yeah.” [07:35]
JD Vance: “That's why we have X.” [07:39]
Musk critiques the government's role in controlling media narratives, leading to uniform messaging that serves state interests. He underscores the importance of platforms like X (formerly Twitter) in preserving free expression against state-controlled media pressures.
Timestamp: 09:05 - 10:11
Musk introduces his innovative approach to cryptocurrency distribution.
Elon Musk: “It's money that's taken away from... destructive to the country... That's awesome.” [09:36]
JD Vance: “Everyone loves it.” [09:45]
Musk reveals the upcoming distribution of $5,000 DOGE dividend checks, framing it as a consequence of diverting funds from harmful government expenditures to citizens. This initiative aims to provide financial relief while promoting cryptocurrency adoption.
Timestamp: 15:35 - 18:30
A critical examination of the Social Security system and entitlement fraud ensues.
Elon Musk: “A conservative estimate of the 7 trillion would be 10%. Conservative.” [17:53]
JD Vance: “Probably a little higher than that.” [18:14]
Musk discusses anomalies in the Social Security database, such as eligibility records for non-existent or implausibly aged individuals. He estimates that fraud alone siphons approximately $500 billion annually from federal entitlements, advocating for stringent audits and reforms to curb such abuses.
Timestamp: 19:03 - 23:19
The interview delves into immigration's impact on political landscapes and voter demographics.
Elon Musk: “The whole thing was a giant voter importation scam.” [20:55]
JD Vance: “They're creating a new voter class.” [20:48]
Musk contends that policies facilitating illegal immigration are strategically designed to shift voter demographics in favor of the Democratic Party. By increasing the number of immigrants, particularly in swing states, the aim is to secure electoral advantages in future elections.
Timestamp: 23:19 - 25:16
Musk shares his frustrations with political interference in SpaceX operations, particularly concerning astronaut missions.
Elon Musk: “They were suing SpaceX for not hiring asylum seekers.” [23:48]
JD Vance: “They're trying to make you look good.” [23:31]
Addressing a delayed astronaut rescue mission, Musk attributes the obstruction to the Biden administration's antagonistic stance towards his ventures. He highlights legal battles over hiring practices as a means to impede SpaceX's effectiveness, resulting in extended missions and compromised safety.
Timestamp: 27:07 - 28:55
The conversation turns to international conflict resolution, with Musk advocating for pragmatic solutions to end the war in Ukraine.
Elon Musk: “People have been dying... it's unreal.” [28:09]
JD Vance: “Ending a war always means you have to compromise.” [27:25]
Musk criticizes the prolonged conflict, emphasizing the human cost and economic drain. He suggests that pragmatic negotiations and leadership empathy are essential to resolve the war, countering the entrenched interests that perpetuate the violence.
Timestamp: 29:55 - 31:56
In the final segment, Musk offers a glimpse into his personal thought processes and motivations.
Elon Musk: “My mind is a storm.” [30:10]
Elon Musk: “America cared about being the good guys... doing the right thing.” [31:25]
Musk describes his cognitive approach as dynamic and driven by a moral compass shaped by American ideals. He reflects on his upbringing and the influence of American media and culture in fostering his desire to contribute positively to society.
Throughout the interview, Elon Musk presents himself as a fervent advocate for reducing governmental inefficiencies, preserving free speech, and implementing pragmatic solutions to societal challenges. His candid discussions with JD Vance shed light on his strategic initiatives, such as the DOGE dividend, and his unwavering commitment to transforming both the private and public sectors. The conversation underscores Musk's multifaceted role as a tech visionary and a political influencer striving to reshape the American landscape.
Notable Quotes:
This episode provides a comprehensive look into Elon Musk's ideology and initiatives aimed at combating bureaucratic inefficiency and promoting individual freedoms. For listeners seeking an in-depth understanding of Musk's political and social viewpoints, this interview serves as an invaluable resource.