Elon Musk stated that the United States government cannot resolve its national debt through budget cuts alone. In an interview with biographer Walter Isaacson, Musk argued that artificial intelligence and robotics are the only viable solutions to the fiscal deficit, rather than austerity measures.
Musk noted that there is little political appetite for spending cuts within the White House, Congress, or the judiciary. He suggested that significant reductions would only be possible if President Donald Trump made them a primary objective, though he acknowledged that such efforts inevitably create political opposition.
The entrepreneur also reflected on his tenure leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). He admitted that he spent four months in Washington, which he now considers too long, as it kept him away from his companies. He expressed regret for not returning to his AI projects sooner.
