Elon Musk [Getty Images]
Elon Musk [Getty Images]

Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, expressed regret over his time leading the Department of Government Efficiency.

In an interview set to air next week on "The Builders," a podcast hosted by biographer Walter Isaacson, Musk said he should have stayed more in the background and pivoted to AI sooner, according to Yonhap, which cited a Saturday report by the US online outlet Axios.

Musk also said AI is the only way to resolve the national debt. "Savings alone cannot solve this problem," he said. "The only way to address the national debt is through AI and robots."

He added that there is no political will to cut spending anywhere — not in the presidential office, the Senate, the House or the judiciary — and that almost no one in power wants to reduce expenditures, with rare exceptions such as Sen. Rand Paul.

Musk said that even if President Donald Trump made spending cuts his top priority, resolving the national debt would still be impossible in practice.

"If you try to fix the deficit and stop wasteful spending, you make a lot of enemies," he said. "President Trump likes to be liked — he doesn't want someone calling him and getting angry about a funding cut."

Musk remains a major donor ahead of US midterms

Even as he reflects on his government role, Musk is positioning himself as one of the biggest political spenders ahead of the US midterm elections.

An investigation found that Musk spent at least $276 million supporting Republicans in the third quarter alone ahead of the midterms.

Politico, citing an analysis of Federal Election Commission (FEC) data, reported Thursday that Musk was the single largest political donor in the current election cycle, Yonhap reported at the time.

Musk contributed $158 million to the Senate Leadership Fund, a super PAC supporting Senate Republicans.

He also gave more than $88 million to America PAC, which was created during the 2024 presidential election to support Trump.

America PAC is currently funding advertising and ground-level campaign operations for Republican candidates across the country.

Musk additionally donated $10 million to Lone Star Liberty PAC, a super PAC backing Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton in Texas, and $20 million to the Congressional Leadership Fund, a super PAC supporting House Republicans.

Although Musk clashed with Trump last year, his relationship with the White House has improved in recent months.


yul@heraldcorp.com