Republican US presidential candidate Donald Trump said on Thursday he would establish a government efficiency commission headed by billionaire supporter Elon Musk if he wins the November 5 election, during a wide-ranging speech in which he laid out his economic vision for the country.
Advertisement
The former US president has been discussing the idea of a government efficiency commission with aides for weeks, according to people with knowledge of those conversations. His speech to the New York Economic Club on Thursday, however, was the first time he had publicly endorsed the idea.
It was also the first time Trump said that Musk has agreed to head the body. He did not detail precisely how such a commission would operate, besides saying it would develop a plan to eliminate “fraud and improper payments” within six months of being formed.
“I will create a government efficiency commission tasked with conducting a complete financial and performance audit of the entire federal government and making recommendations for drastic reforms,” Trump said.
Musk said on an August 19 podcast that he had held conversations with the former president about the matter and that he would be interested in serving on the body.