Trump appoints Elon Musk to ‘efficiency’ role and Fox News host as Defence Secy.

Thursday, 14 November 2024 01:45 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

President-elect Donald Trump announced Tuesday billionaire backer Elon Musk and supporter Vivek Ramaswamy will lead a new ‘Department of Government Efficiency’ (DOGE), while Fox News host Pete Hegseth will serve as Defence Secretary, the latest in a flurry of appointments in the days since Trump won the election, tapping some of his staunchest defenders and loyalists for roles in the administration.

Trump announced Elon Musk, the world’s wealthiest person, will run a new DOGE, alongside investor and former Republican primary candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. Trump said in a statement the department – which has not yet been created – will offer “advice and guidance from outside of Government” and focus on “making changes to the Federal Bureaucracy with an eye on efficiency,” including through spending and regulatory cuts.

Musk, a vocal Trump backer who donated over $ 100 million to a pro-Trump super PAC, has pitched the department in the past, seemingly naming it after the meme cryptocurrency dogecoin.

Trump selected Pete Hegseth as his Defence Secretary Tuesday, praising his status as a combat veteran and role as a co-host on Fox & Friends Weekend. Hegseth was deployed in Cuba, Afghanistan, and Iraq while serving with the Army National Guard. The veteran is the former CEO of Concerned Veterans for America, a conservative organisation that has communicated with Trump on the matter of veterans affairs and received backing from billionaire Charles G. Koch – one of the wealthiest people in the world. Hegseth has also made appearances on various Fox Nation series.