
Elon Musk responded to the 'hostile takeover' of the US government in his first press conference from the Oval Office.
The Tesla CEO made an unexpected appearance at the White House on Tuesday where he covered topics such as restoring democracy, self-policing, current politics and social security fraud.
The X account called ELON CLIPS shared the full interview with timestamps on topics that were addressed.
Standing beside President Donald Trump, Musk defended his sweeping cost-cutting measures and denied accusations of a 'hostile takeover' of the US government.
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The world's richest man wore a black Make America Great Again cap and had his young son, named X Æ A-Xii (X, for short) - on his shoulders for part of the conference.
Musk addressed concerns about his role as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), the agency tasked with slashing federal spending and workforce numbers. Trump had Musk's back by signing an order to grant more authority to DOGE and instructing the heads of government agencies to comply with it.
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Democrats have allegedly criticised the agency for not being transparent, and legal issues have also slowed down its work.
However, Musk described using 'common sense' measures that are neither 'draconian or radical' to tackle the government cuts.
"The people voted for major government reform and that's what the people are going to get," the 53-year-old said. "That's what democracy is all about."
He also took aim at what he called an 'unelected, fourth, unconstitutional branch of government' that he said has 'more power than any elected representative' - referring to federal employees who he believes hold too much power over elected reps.
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"It's not optional for us to reduce the federal expenses," Musk continued. "It's essential. It's essential for America to remain solvent as a country."

Other clips of Musk being questioned about how he was going to police himself whilst he's now in a 'place of conflict.'
He explained that 'everything they will be doing' will be 'public' so everyone will have 'full transparency' behind the scenes.
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When pressed on how he plans to cut the federal budget deficit from $2 trillion to $1 trillion, the SpaceX founder boiled it down to two key things: 'competence and caring.'
He also touched on his SpaceX and Defense contracts where Musk clarified that his companies are working with the government to strengthen national security while pushing technological advancements.
"I fully expect to be scrutinised," he added. "It's not like I think I can get away with something."
Viewers of the press conference have been quick to rally behind Musk writing: "DOGE for the win" and "Trump is extremely lucky to have Elon on his team, its an absolute blessing."