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Ice cream from Trump and a ‘comically tiny office’: Inside Elon Musk’s wild 3 months getting DOGE rolling
Elon Musk says he saved the U.S. taxpayer more than $160 million during his first three months getting the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) off the ground — but he also enjoyed midnight snacks of ice cream from the White House kitchen, a «comically tiny office» and a friendship with President Donald Trump.
Fox News Digital was invited, along with a small group of reporters, to have an on-the-record discussion with Musk in the White House’s Roosevelt Room on Wednesday evening about his first 100 days as a special government employee.
That status allowed him to work for the federal government for «no more than 130 days in a 365-day period,» according to data from the Office of Government Ethics. Musk said the first 100 days was «an intense period» and said at times, he was in Washington, D.C., working on his DOGE efforts «7 days a week, or close to 7 days a week.»
Musk said he will cut that down to one or two days a week, or every other week, and will continue working for the Trump administration «at the discretion of the president.»
ELON MUSK RECEIVES APPLAUSE FROM CABINET AS HE BEGINS PLANNED DEPARTURE FROM DOGE ROLE
Elon Musk, left, and President Donald Trump talk about DOGE’s efforts to investigate wasteful U.S. government spending from the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 11, 2025. (JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)
«I’m willing to contribute one to two days a week, coming to D.C. every other week for one to three days—indefinitely, as long as the president wants me to do that,» Musk said. «It’s largely a volunteer organization.»
Musk, in response to a question from Fox News Digital, said he has slept in the White House’s Lincoln bedroom multiple times.
«I didn’t think I would ever sleep in there,» Musk said. «The president, we’re good friends, and we’ll be on Air Force One, or Marine One, and he’ll be like, ‘do you want to stay over?’ and I’ll be like, ‘sure,’ and he’ll send me to the Lincoln bedroom.»
Musk said he did not ever «request it,» but that Trump would always ask «‘do you want to stay here?’»
DOGE leader Elon Musk has been hit with 96% negative coverage on ABC, NBC and CBS evening newscasts, according to the Media Research Center. (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
«And he gave me a tour of the Lincoln bedroom, and told me all the history,» Musk said.
SCOOP: DOGE CAUCUS PLANS WHITE HOUSE MEETING AS ELON MUSK PREPS TO STEP BACK
«And then, he’ll actually call me late night and say, ‘by the way, make sure you get ice cream from the kitchen,» Musk recalled. «I ate a whole tub of ice cream—caramel. Häagen-Dazs.»
Musk laughed, «Yeah, it’s epic.»
«Don’t tell RFK I ate a whole tub,» Musk laughed. «The president is a very good host, and he said, make sure you have some of the ice cream, and I said OK. I went to the kitchen and got some ice cream.»
When asked for the exact number of nights Musk slept in the Lincoln bedroom, he replied, «I don’t know if I should say the number—more than once.»
Musk was also given a small office in the White House, which he said he intends to keep.
«I’m keeping my micro-office,» Musk said, adding that it is «on the top floor it has a view of nothing.»
«It has a window but all you see is an HVAC unit,» Musk explained. «I guess it’s harder to shoot me—there’s not a good line of sight in there.»
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, right, speaks with then-former President Donald Trump during a campaign event at the Butler Farm Show on Oct. 5, 2024 in Butler, Pennsylvania. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
«I like my comically tiny office upstairs,» Musk said, adding that, while it is tiny, he has «the biggest monitor,» where he views «important information—secret stuff.» Musk admitted, though, that he has «occasionally played a video game.»
When asked by Fox News Digital which video game, Musk laughed and said, «Diablo in the Path of Exile.»
As for DOGE, Musk said he is proud of its work so far, and «in the grand scheme of things, I think we’ve been effective,» just «not as effective as I’d like.»
«I think we could be more effective, but we’ve made progress —and more progress than I think has happened since Clinton and Gore,» Musk said. «It is ironic to see the Clinton and Gore speeches — they sound like DOGE. If you took a transcript and say who said it? DOGE or Clinton-Gore? You would have a hard time. They sound identical to what we say.»
He added, «We are just Democrats from the ’90s who got teleported into 2025.»
DOGE SLASHES ‘WASTEFUL’ ‘PROBLEM-SOLVING’ CONTRACT WORTH $50K IN LATEST ROUND OF ELIMINATIONS
«Things have just evolved. There is that classic saying, we didn’t leave the Democratic Party — the Democratic Party left us,» Musk continued. «Just, objectively, from a policy standpoint, that is just objectively true. Our goals are safe cities, secure borders, sensible spending—these used to be Democrat positions and perhaps they will be in the future — but they just seem like common sense.»
Meanwhile, Musk reflected on his day-to-day for the first 100 days, saying that things «have to be very intense for the first three months, so trying to understand what’s going on and map out the government in general.»
«The federal government is a gigantic beast — very complicated — and so if you’re trying to figure out how to stop waste and fraud, you’ve got to map the territory,» Musk said. «That required three months of intense effort, and you have to build the team as well.»
President Donald Trump, right, and White House senior advisor, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, depart after looking at Tesla vehicles on the South Lawn of the White House on March 11, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
«A new administration is like a start-up,» Musk continued. «Now, we’re getting more of a rhythm and so the amount of time necessary for me to spend here is much less and I can return to primarily running my companies, which do need me.»
Fox News Digital asked Musk if he has had fun during his first three months leading DOGE.
«It’s like, 60% fun. 70% fun — depends on the week,» Musk said. «But being attacked relentlessly is not super fun. Seeing cars burning is not fun. But when I feel like we’re doing good for the American taxpayer and stopping wasteful spending and fixing computer systems, I feel like that’s a good thing.»
A DOGE official at the meeting on Wednesday said that 1% of the federal workforce, or slightly more than 20,000 people, have been fired. However, that official stressed that the federal government has «hired 26,000 people.»
«So we have hired more people than we’ve fired,» the official said.
DOGE’S GREATEST HITS: LOOK BACK AT THE DEPARTMENT’S MOST HIGH-PROFILE CUTS DURING TRUMP’S FIRST 100 DAYS
Musk chimed in and said, in America, «we actually want to have fewer people in the federal government and more people making things.»
Musk also told reporters that DOGE has referred cases of fraud to the Justice Department for criminal prosecution.
«The wheels of justice turn slowly but, hopefully, surely,» Musk said. «When we find cases of fraud, we refer those cases to the DOJ — it is not DOGE prosecuting anyone.»
Musk said there are «hundreds of thousands of cases of what appear to be fraud,» but a DOGE official said they have referred, at this point, 57 cases of possible voter fraud to the DOJ.
President Donald Trump, right, is joined by Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and his son, X Musk, during an executive order signing in the Oval Office at the White House on Feb. 11, 2025. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Musk also said he will meet with the House DOGE caucus next week, and said his work with House and Senate lawmakers has been «extremely positive.»
At the end of the conversation, Musk laughed and said, «It is funny that we’ve got DOGE.»
«Are we in a simulation here? Or what’s going on? How did we get here?!» Musk laughed.
DAVID MARCUS: WHAT AMERICA OWES ELON MUSK AFTER DOGE
«I’m proud of the incredible work by the DOGE team who have taken a lot of flak and these are people who could easily get high-paying jobs in the private sector, and, in fact, came from high-paying jobs in the private sector,» Musk said.
DOGE has fewer than 100 employees.
«Some will stay on, some will not,» Musk said. «It is up to them. This is basically a volunteer organization.»
When asked if DOGE is winding down, Musk said, «No.»
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«DOGE is a way of life,» Musk said. «Like Buddhism. You wouldn’t ask who would lead Buddhism.»
When asked who would lead DOGE when Musk is not in Washington, Musk replied, «Is Buddha needed for Buddhism?»
Elon Musk,DOGE,White House,Donald Trump
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Justice Department investigating University of California over alleged DEI-based hiring
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The Justice Department has announced it is investigating the University of California (UC) for alleged Title VII discrimination violations in its hiring practices.
The agency announced Thursday that its Civil Rights Division is looking into the university’s individual campuses regarding potential race- and sex-based discrimination in employment practices.
The university’s «UC 2030 Capacity Plan» directs its campuses to hire «diverse» faculty members to meet race- and sex-based employment quotas, the Justice Department said.
The Justice Department has launched a Title VII investigation into the University of California over alleged race- and sex-based discrimination in faculty hiring. (AP Photo/Ben Margot, File)
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN, LAW JOURNAL SUED FOR ALLEGEDLY DISCRIMINATING AGAINST STRAIGHT WHITE MALES
«These initiatives openly measure new hires by their race and sex, which potentially runs afoul of federal law,» the Justice Department said in a press release.
«The Civil Rights Division’s Employment Litigation Section will investigate whether the University of California is engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination based on race, sex, and other protected characteristics, pursuant to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.»
Title VII prohibits an employer from discriminating against an individual on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, Harmeet Dhillon, the assistant attorney general of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, said.
«Public employers are bound by federal laws that prohibit racial and other employment discrimination,» Dhillon said. «Institutional directives that use race- and sex-based hiring practices expose employers to legal risk under federal law.»
The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division wrote to the university on Thursday, informing it of the investigation.
«Our investigation is based on information suggesting that the University of California may be engaged in certain employment practices that discriminate against employees, job applicants, and training program participants based on race and sex in violation of Title VII,» the letter reads.
«Specifically, we have reason to believe the University of California’s ‘UC 2030 Capacity Plan’ precipitated unlawful action by the University of California and some or all its constituent campuses.»
In March, UC dropped diversity statements from its hiring practices amid President Donald Trump’s threats that schools could lose federal funding. (iStock)
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION TARGETS IVY LEAGUE SCHOOL, LAW JOURNAL FOR RACIAL DISCRIMINATION
UC said it will work in good faith with the Justice Department as it conducts its investigation.
«The University of California is committed to fair and lawful processes in all of our programs and activities, consistent with federal and state anti-discrimination laws,» a UC statement provided to Fox News Digital reads. «The University also aims to foster a campus environment where everyone is welcomed and supported.»
The university’s UC 2030 Capacity Plan lays out a goal of becoming a national model as a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) and Minority-Serving Institution (MSI) system. The plan outlines a pipeline strategy to diversify faculty and researchers through expanded graduate enrollment and outreach to institutions that serve underrepresented students. The DOJ, however, claims these initiatives may violate Title VII by functioning as de facto employment quotas.
In March, UC dropped diversity statements from its hiring practices amid President Donald Trump’s threats that schools could lose federal funding.
The university’s provost, Katherine S. Newman, sent out a letter to the system’s leaders informing them that diversity statements are no longer required for new applicants. Newman wrote that while some programs and departments have required them, the university has never had a policy of diversity statements and believes it could harm applicant evaluation.
University of California, Berkeley entrance sign on the corner of Oxford Street and Center Street. (iStock)
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«The requirement to submit a diversity statement may lead applicants to focus on an aspect of their candidacy that is outside their expertise or prior experience,» the letter obtained by Fox News Digital reads.
She added that employees and applicants can still reference accomplishments related to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) on their own, but requiring stand-alone diversity statements is no longer permitted.
Fox News’ David Spunt and Lindsay Kornick contributed to this report.
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Iranian foreign minister reiterates ‘serious damage’ to nuclear facilities, despite ayatollah’s comments
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Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi admitted in an interview on state TV that the U.S.’s strikes caused serious damage to Tehran’s nuclear facilities, despite Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s insistence that there was minimal impact.
Araghchi said in the interview that «the level of damage is high, and it’s serious damage,» according to the Associated Press.
Post-strike assessments have shown that Iran’s nuclear sites suffered damage in both U.S. and Israeli attacks. All three countries — Iran, Israel and the U.S. — have reached similar conclusions about the extent of the damage, despite what a leaked intel report indicated.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi contradicts Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on the extent of damage caused by U.S. strikes on the country’s nuclear facilities. (Associated Press)
IRAN, ISRAEL AND US AGREE THAT ISLAMIC REPUBLIC NUCLEAR SITES WERE ‘BADLY DAMAGED’ DESPITE LEAKED INTEL REPORT
The only leader who seemingly does not agree with the assessments is Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who said that «the Americans failed to achieve anything significant in their attack on nuclear facilities,» according to reports.
Khamenei appears to be more focused on projecting strength than reflecting reality. He described Iran’s attack on Al-Udeid, the American airbase in Qatar, as a «heavy slap to the U.S.’s face.» While President Donald Trump dismissed it as a «very weak response» and thanked Iran for giving the U.S. «early notice.»
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi said in a statement on Tuesday that the agency had «seen extensive damage at several nuclear sites in Iran, including its uranium conversion and enrichment facilities.»
This satellite picture by Planet Labs PBC shows Iran’s underground nuclear enrichment site at Fordo following U.S. airstrikes targeting the facility, on Sunday, June 22, 2025. (Planet Labs PBC via AP)
IRAN TRYING TO ‘SAVE FACE’ FOLLOWING US STRIKE ON NUCLEAR SITES, EXPERT SAYS
In addition to discussing the damage done to Iran’s nuclear sites, Araghchi also addressed the possibility of resuming talks with the U.S. He said that the American strikes «made it more complicated and more difficult» for Iran to come to the table, but did not rule out the possibility that negotiations could resume.
Nuclear talks with the U.S. might not be entirely off the table for Iran after last week’s strikes—even if Tehran is not interested in reentering negotiations right away.
The possibility of negotiations was already in question prior to Operation Midnight Hammer, as Tehran viewed the U.S. as being «complicit» in Israel’s Operation Rising Lion, according to Reuters, citing Iranian U.N. Ambassador Ali Bahreini.
US Vice President JD Vance, from left, US President Donald Trump, Marco Rubio, US secretary of state, and Pete Hegseth, US secretary of defense, during an address to the nation in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Saturday, June 21, 2025. (Carlos Barria/Reuters/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
EX-SECRETARY OF STATE CONDOLEEZZA RICE CALLS US STRIKES ON IRAN A ‘SHOT IN THE ARM’ FOR AMERICAN CREDIBILITY
Trump on Wednesday expressed optimism in the U.S.’s ability to resume nuclear talks with Iran.
«We’re going to talk to them next week, with Iran. We may sign an agreement, I don’t know. To me, I don’t think it’s that necessary. I mean, they had a war. They fought. Now they’re going back to their world. I don’t care if I have an agreement or not. The only thing we would be asking for is what we’re asking for before about, we want no nuclear [program]. But we destroyed the nuclear,» Trump said.
Despite Trump’s statement, there is still no clear indication that the countries have plans to meet in the near future.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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