‘President Donald Trump has urged Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, who is leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in federal workforce reductions, to be cautious in selecting targets for restructuring.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump stated, “We say scalpel rather than hatchet,” emphasizing the importance of retaining the best and most productive individuals.
He also added, “It’s very important to reduce where standards need to be lowered,” and mentioned plans to have meetings with Musk and others from the Department of Government Efficiency every two weeks until significant tasks are completed.
These remarks by Trump seem to be a call for a precise and careful approach, akin to separating the wheat from the chaff, in response to criticism and backlash over the federal workforce reduction measures, advocating for targeting only problematic areas instead of indiscriminate dismissals.
However, Trump defended Musk, saying, “The Department of Government Efficiency has achieved remarkable success,” and added, “Now that the cabinet is formed, I’ve instructed the leadership to collaborate with the Department of Government Efficiency to address issues of federal cost reduction and workforce downsizing.”
He also wrote, “Once cabinet members understand the employees in various departments, they can make very precise judgments about who stays and who goes.”