Public transcript

Elon Musk - I Cut Off The Money And They Flipped - Joe Rogan

By: Podcast TV
Length: 5 min
Language: English
Text from: the video's captions
Transcribed: 14 October 2026

Read the full transcript Open on YouTube

Notes in English.

Summary

Elon Musk joins Joe Rogan to discuss his time leading Doge, the government cost-cutting effort. He says Doge is still operating, though less publicized, and estimates it has prevented roughly $200-300 billion a year in fraud and waste. Musk describes intense backlash and death threats after cutting off money to what he calls a fraud machine, and argues many government departments, like the Department of Education, should not exist.

Key points

Musk says Doge is still underway and continuing to cut waste and fraud, but is less publicized now.
As a special government employee, Musk could only serve about 120 days, roughly four months.
Musk says his death threat level went ballistic after cutting off money to fraudsters.
He estimates Doge has prevented on the order of $200-300 billion a year in fraud and waste.
With unlimited power, Musk says he would probably cut the federal budget in half.
Musk argues the Department of Education, created under Jimmy Carter, has coincided with declining educational results and should be abolished.
He says the country originally ran with only departments like State, War, Justice, and Treasury.

Questions it answers

00:00Doge continues

Is Doge still operating after Musk stepped back?

Yes, Musk says Doge is still underway and still cutting waste and fraud, though it is less publicized now. He stepped back partly because opponents applied immense pressure and no longer had a clear person to attack.

Doge is still cutting waste and fraud.
Musk could only serve about 120 days as a special government employee.

01:00Backlash and threats

What happened when Musk cut off money to fraudsters?

Musk says his death threat level went ballistic, and the goal of the backlash was to destroy him. Rogan observes that the rhetoric has calmed down since Musk left DC.

Death threats spiked after the funding cuts.
Rogan says the goal was to destroy Musk for getting in the way of graft.

02:17Savings estimate

How much fraud and waste has Doge prevented?

Musk estimates it is on the order of $200-300 billion a year. With godlike power, he says he would probably cut the federal budget in half.

Estimated savings of $200-300 billion a year.
Musk believes the federal budget could be cut in half.

03:00Departments to cut

Which government departments does Musk think should not exist?

He names the Department of Education, created under Jimmy Carter, arguing educational results have declined since it was created and states did better when they ran education. He adds the country originally only needed State, War, Justice, and Treasury.

The Department of Education has been substantially reduced but not eliminated.
Musk says states competing with one another produced better results.

Notes

Doge's Status

Musk says Doge is still happening and still cutting waste and fraud, but it is less publicized now.
He stepped back partly because opponents no longer have a clear person to attack.

Backlash and Pressure

Musk says immense pressure was applied to get him to stop, and the goal of critics was to destroy him.
His death threat level went "ballistic" after turning off the money spigot to fraudsters.
Rogan notes the rhetoric about Musk has calmed down since he left DC.

Limits on His Role

As a special government employee, Musk could only serve about 120 days, roughly four months, whatever the law says.

Results and Hypotheticals

Musk estimates Doge has prevented on the order of $200-300 billion a year in fraud and waste.
Asked what he could do with godlike power, he says he would probably cut the federal budget in half and get more done.

Departments That Should Not Exist

Musk cites the Department of Education, created under Jimmy Carter, saying educational results have declined since its creation.
He argues states did better running education themselves because states can compete with one another.
The department has been substantially reduced but not eliminated.
Musk describes himself as a small government guy, noting the country originally had only departments of State, War, Justice (an attorney general), and Treasury.

Text from the video's own captions. Summary and notes written by AI from the transcript, so check anything important against the recording.