Elon Musk said DOGE 'became the whipping boy' for all government problems

• Elon Musk said his cost-cutting outfit DOGE was treated unfairly by critics.
• Musk said DOGE became the "whipping boy for everything."
• He left the Trump administration after finishing his 130-day stint as a special government employee.

Elon Musk said the White House DOGE office was treated unfairly by its critics and became a "whipping boy for everything."

Musk was speaking to CBS in an interview that aired on Sunday when he was asked about the backlash he faced over his work at the cost-cutting outfit.

"It was a bit unfair because, like, DOGE became the whipping boy for everything," Musk said.

"So, if there was some cut, real or imagined, everyone would blame DOGE. I've had people think that, like, somehow DOGE is gonna stop them from getting their Social Security check, which is completely untrue," he continued.

The Trump administration said in March that it "will not cut Social Security, Medicare, or Medicaid benefits." This clarification came after Musk called Social Security "the biggest Ponzi scheme of all time" in an episode of "The Joe Rogan Experience," which aired in February.

Musk told CBS he is a "proponent of smaller government, not bigger government."

President Donald Trump announced in November that Musk would co-lead DOGE with Vivek Ramaswamy. Musk became the sole leader of DOGE after Ramaswamy left the cost-cutting outfit in January.

Musk served as DOGE's leader from January to May. He announced his departure from DOGE on Wednesday, concluding his 130-day stint as a special government employee.

During his tenure, DOGE tried to slash government spending by shutting down foreign aid programs and laying off thousands of federal workers. The cuts sparked boycotts and protests against Tesla, Musk's EV company.

The blowback Musk faced alarmed investors as well, who repeatedly told him to focus on Tesla. Last month, Musk told investors in a Tesla earnings call that he would be scaling down his involvement with DOGE to spend more time on Tesla.

Musk, however, told CBS that he will still be working on DOGE, albeit on a part-time basis.

"DOGE is going to continue, just as a way of life, and I will have some participation in that. But as I've said publicly, my focus has to be on the companies at this point," Musk said.

Musk and the White House did not respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.