Elon Musk made a notable return to SpaceX on Tuesday for a crucial test flight of his revolutionary Starship spacecraft. During an exclusive interview, Musk candidly discussed the unexpected difficulties he faced while attempting to streamline the federal government and addressed the intense backlash directed at the U.S. DOGE Service, which he spearheaded. “The federal bureaucracy situation is much worse than I realized,” he lamented. “I thought there were problems, but it sure is an uphill battle trying to improve things in D.C., to say the least.”
Musk expressed his frustration over the severe repercussions following the cuts to the DOGE program, stating, “DOGE is just becoming the whipping boy for everything. So, like, something bad would happen anywhere, and we would get blamed for it even if we had nothing to do with it.” He also reflected on the reputational damage suffered by his companies, saying, “People were burning Teslas. Why would you do that? That’s really uncool.”
In his conversation with CBS News, Musk voiced his disapproval of President Donald Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill, which included extensive tax cuts. This marked a significant departure from the president and the Republican party's stance. “I was disappointed to see the massive spending bill, frankly, which increases the budget deficit, not just decreases it, and undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing,” Musk noted, highlighting the challenges he faced in aligning his vision with political realities.
Returning to his natural habitat, far removed from the political turmoil of Washington D.C., Musk found himself at Starbase, a unique launch site that SpaceX has transformed into a hub for innovation. The sweltering South Texas sun bore down on him as he prepared for the test flight of Starship, the world’s most powerful rocket, which plays a critical role in NASA's ambitions to return to the moon and Musk’s dream of sending humans to Mars.
“I’m physically here. This is the focus, and especially around launch. Everything comes together at the moment of launch,” Musk emphasized, reflecting a renewed commitment to his role at SpaceX. He traded in his political attire for an “Occupy Mars” T-shirt, embodying the intense drive that characterizes his leadership style. “You have got to drive hard, and not everyone is cut out for that,” he explained. “Like, people want to have the chill vibes, and SpaceX is sort of ultra hardcore. But if we’re not ultra hardcore, how are we going to get to Mars?”
Despite the challenges faced with the DOGE Service, Musk asserted that his efforts to reform the federal bureaucracy are far from over. He intends to focus on enhancing the government’s computer systems, a less contentious approach than workforce reductions. “There’s, like, so many situations where the computers are so broken,” he pointed out, “even in the intelligence world.” His strategy will involve targeting projects that promise significant improvements with minimal resistance, aiming to reduce waste and fraud within government operations.
However, Musk's claims of achieving substantial savings and operational efficiency through his interventions have come under scrutiny, suggesting that his accomplishments may not be as significant as he had hoped. As he steps back from the political arena, it is evident that his ambitions in Washington did not yield the desired outcomes.
As Musk shifts his focus back to his various ventures, particularly SpaceX, he is eager to advance the company's mission. SpaceX has faced setbacks, including two previous Starship test flights that ended in explosions. Yet, the company has also celebrated numerous successes, revolutionizing the space industry by proving that rockets can be reused, significantly lowering the cost of spaceflight.
“I think the primary goal should be Mars,” Musk reiterated, emphasizing his vision of making humanity a multi-planet species. He expressed hope for a successful test flight, stating, “Hopefully things don’t explode. The last few times it exploded. This is a very real concern. Big rockets, don’t explode: Goal.”
Musk's recent test flight, while not without issues, did not result in an explosion, marking a significant improvement. “Big improvement over last flight!” he tweeted on X, promising a test flight every three or four weeks in the coming months, stating, “Lot of good data to review.” As he continues to push the boundaries of space exploration, Musk remains focused on his ultimate goal: to make life multi-planetary.
