During an interview with Fox News’ Bret Baier prior to the Super Bowl on Sunday, Donald Trump stated that he expects Elon Musk to uncover “billions” of dollars in abuse and fraud at the Pentagon.
“I’m going to tell him to check with the Department of Education as soon as possible, perhaps within 24 hours. Then I am going to go to the military. Let’s look into the military,” the US president told the host of right-wing Fox News, adding, “We’re going to find billions, hundreds of millions of dollars in fraud and abuse.”
In recent weeks, Musk’s “department of government efficiency” has attempted to dismantle numerous federal agencies in Washington, DC, going through data systems, shutting down DEI programs, and, in some cases, eliminating entire agencies.
Last week, Musk and Trump attempted to place thousands of US Agency for International Development (USAid) employees on leave, but a judge temporarily halted the effort on Friday.
Trump is the first sitting president to attend the Super Bowl, which has been the NFL season’s grand finale since 1966, though a president’s appearance on Super Bowl programming is not uncommon.
Presidents have traditionally given interviews to the network that broadcasts the Super Bowl, but both Trump and Joe Biden declined some requests during their first terms.
Biden declined the Super Bowl interview in 2024, which some Democratic insiders viewed as a missed opportunity to speak directly to Americans. Biden’s aides stated that he declined the interview because he believed voters wanted a break from political news.
This year’s interview is a bit unusual. Fox is hosting the Super Bowl, and Baier has been assigned to host the interview. Baier is seen as less fervently pro-Trump than some of his colleagues, but the move implied from the start that the interview would not be as adversarial as one conducted by a less-partisan network.
Trump, a lifelong New Yorker who relocated to his members-only club in Florida after alienating much of his home state, has yet to announce which team he will support.
