By Blessing Nweke

Elon Musk introduced several key members of the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) during an exclusive interview on Fox News’ Special Report on Thursday. Musk, who has been the department’s public face since late January, revealed seven DOGE staffers who have quietly worked behind the scenes to restructure vital U.S. government agencies.

The DOGE initiative, which seeks to overhaul federal spending and streamline operations, has been shrouded in secrecy, with Musk himself often emphasizing the need to keep staff identities under wraps. However, in this interview, the DOGE team spoke candidly about their efforts to modernize government services. Among those speaking were Joe Gebbia, co-founder of Airbnb, who is focusing on overhauling federal retirement systems, and former Morgan Stanley banker Anthony Armstrong, who defended the department’s budget cuts as less severe than critics suggest.

While Musk has often used blunt language to describe his government reforms, such as referring to agency cuts as a “chainsaw” or “wood chipper” approach, the DOGE staff adopted a more measured tone. Gebbia stressed that DOGE aims to bring a modern, user-friendly experience to government systems, similar to tech giants like Apple. Other staff members, such as Tom Krause, a former Treasury official, emphasized a push for transparency and efficiency, with Krause calling for greater audits of government payments.

Despite the more restrained rhetoric, Musk continued to defend DOGE’s aggressive budget-slashing approach. He reiterated that the department’s goal was to reduce federal spending by 15%, a cut he believes will not impact critical services like Social Security. However, experts warn that tax cuts under Trump’s policies could still contribute to an increasing deficit, regardless of DOGE’s efforts.

The interview highlighted the growing public visibility of the DOGE initiative, though several key staffers—including acting administrator Amy Gleason—remained absent from the discussion.