Musk acknowledges incorrect claims on government cuts

During a public appearance in the Oval Office with President Donald Trump late Tuesday, Elon Musk defended efforts to cut and overhaul parts of the federal government through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) that he leads.

“You couldn't ask for a stronger mandate from the public,” Musk, whose appearance included his young son, said. “The people voted for major government reform, and that's what people are going to get. They're going to get what they voted for.”

At the same time, he also stated that at least one claim he and others in the Trump administration made repeatedly about U.S. funding for contraception abroad, was inaccurate. A reporter asked Musk about a debunked claim that the administration stopped $50 million in condoms from going to the Gaza Strip. The facts are that tens of millions of dollars went toward the prevention of HIV and sexually transmitted infections in the province of Gaza, located in the African country of Mozambique. Some of that money went toward contraception, including condoms.

“Some of the things that I say will be incorrect and should be corrected,” Musk said. “Nobody's going to bat a thousand. We will make mistakes. But, we'll act quickly to correct any mistakes.”

While Musk claimed Tuesday that DOGE is “trying to be as transparent as possible,” the department has been made subject to Presidential Records, meaning that it is not subject to Freedom of Information Act requests and it is exempt from public records law until at least 2034.

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