Elon Musk has made a number of exaggerated or unevidenced claims during an Oval Office event alongside President Donald Trump. The billionaire, who was making his first major media appearance since beginning his role as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge), said his team was seeking to improve transparency in government.

Elon Musk answered questions on Tuesday in the Oval Office next to President Donald Trump about his dramatic makeover of the federal government, saying they have identified billions of dollars in fraud and waste without providing specific evidence.

Elon Musk’s son X Æ A-Xii stole the spotlight at the White House! The businessman was at the Oval Office on Feb. 11 as President Donald Trump signed an executive order providing new guidance for federal agencies.

Elon Musk has for weeks posted on social media about government spending, often amplifying and seeding false information. Here’s a fact-check about his comments at the Oval Office.

Elon Musk responded to an X post about the steady increase in government regulations in recent decades. “It’s getting to the point where doing anything at all is illegal,” Musk quipped. Musk is certainly acting like it is.

The world's richest man took questions for the first time since he was appointed to lead a sweeping government cost-cutting effort.

President Donald Trump and Elon Musk came together in the White House on Tuesday for Trump to sign an executive order concerning the billionaire’s work leading the Department of Government Efficiency andwanting federal agencies to work with him.

President Donald Trump listens as Elon Musk speaks in the Oval Office at the White House, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, in Washington. | Alex Brandon