'We Settled On This Guy' — Trump Wanted To Find Someone 'Smarter' Than Elon Musk To Run DOGE: 'I Searched All Over. I Just Couldn't Do It'

President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he tried—but ultimately failed—to find someone "smarter" than Elon Musk to lead the newly established Department of Government Efficiency. Sitting next to Musk during  a joint interview on Fox News' "The Sean Hannity Show" on Tuesday,, Trump said, "I searched all over. I just couldn't do it."

The moment highlighted Musk's reputation as one of the most influential and innovative minds in modern history. The billionaire chief executive of Tesla TSLA, SpaceX, and X has been hailed for revolutionizing electric vehicles, space travel, and artificial intelligence. His mother, Maye Musk, has called him "the genius of the world."

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‘We Settled on This Guy'

Trump, known for his bombastic style, made it clear that while the comment was in jest, he genuinely believes Musk is one of the smartest people alive. "We settled on this guy," he quipped, motioning to Musk.

The president explained that one of his top priorities was bringing in "great people" for his administration. While he had only known Musk "a little bit" before, he quickly recognized the billionaire's unique ability to tackle big problems.

"I wanted great people. And he's a great person. He's an amazing person. He's also a caring person," Trump said. "He's a good person, a very good person, and he wants the country to do well."

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While Musk is taking a leading role in DOGE, Trump emphasized that safeguards are in place. "If there's a conflict, he won't be involved," he assured. "I mean, I wouldn't want that, and he wouldn't want it." 

The White House this week said Musk is serving as a senior adviser to Trump, not holding a formal position within DOGE, and "has no actual authority to make government decisions himself," according to Joshua Fisher, director of the White House Office of Administration, in court filings.

Musk's Plan to Cut $1 Trillion

Musk, known for slashing costs and disrupting industries, has set an ambitious goal to cut $1 trillion in federal spending. He sees "an opportunity to fix the system" but cautioned that no single administration can solve everything.

Musk emphasized that effective leadership is about both competence and a genuine concern for taxpayers. He pointed to Trump's negotiations with Boeing BA over the cost of the new Air Force One as a prime example. Initially, the price tag was significantly higher, but Trump pushed back, ultimately saving billions of dollars. According to Musk, without that level of scrutiny and negotiation, the final cost could have been nearly 50% more than what was settled.

Trump praised Musk's ability to bring "high-IQ individuals" into government, emphasizing his  drive. "He's a very different kind of character," Trump said. "You need energy, also, in addition to those other things. You know, I have a lot of guys that are very smart, but they have no energy. They want to sleep all day long. You need a lot of energy. He's got a lot of energy. He's doing a great job."

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‘You Can't Get Somebody Like This'

Musk acknowledged that his new role comes with intense scrutiny, saying, "The possibility of me getting away with something is 0%—0.0. I'm scrutinized to a ridiculous degree."

Trump agreed, adding, "He's under a pretty big microscope. Everybody is watching him. If there's a conflict, you're going to be reading about it within about two minutes after the conflict."

Musk isn't worried about that, though. "What's better than saying ‘trust me' is just full transparency," he said. "Just go to DOGE.gov. You can see every single action that's being taken."

He admitted mistakes will happen but said the key is fixing them quickly. "Nobody bats a thousand. But we're going to fix the mistakes very fast. That's what matters: not that you don't make mistakes, but that you fix them very fast."

Trump's ‘Search' Ends With Musk

While Trump's comment about searching for someone "smarter" than Musk was obviously a joke, it reinforced the billionaire's status as one of the most influential figures in technology and government.

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