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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
INTERNACIONAL
Obama dragged for ‘headache’-inducing presidential center update that has visitors squinting
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Former President Barack Obama’s presidential center in Chicago is again coming under scrutiny for its architectural design — this time leaving locals scratching their heads over confusing text wrapped around the top of the building.
«I’m outside the Obama Center museum tower right now,» Chicago Sun-Times architecture critic Lee Bay posted to X Monday, sparking a deluge of mockery from locals and conservatives.
«The new letters — an excerpt from Obama’s Selma speech — are tough read to me, giving off the lorem ipsum vibes,» he added, referring to placeholder «dummy» text frequently used in graphic design templates to fill space with scrambled Latin.
Obama’s presidential center — which includes a library, athletic facilities, a museum and more — is slated to open in June after years of delays that included lawsuits and federal reviews of opening the 20-acre campus on Chicago’s South Side.
OBAMA PRESIDENTIAL CENTER SLAMMED FOR PROMOTING ‘FAR-LEFT’ AGENDA ON PUBLIC LAND
The text of former President Obama’s speech marking the 50th anniversary of «Bloody Sunday» in Selma, Alabama, is wrapped around the side of the upcoming presidential center in Chicago. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
The construction includes a 225-foot museum tower with the text of Obama’s 2015 speech in Selma, Alabama, marking the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, when civil rights demonstrators were met with violent resistance from local law enforcement in a watershed moment that helped galvanize support for the 1965 Voting Rights Act.
OBAMA PRESIDENTIAL CENTER JOB LISTINGS PUSH ‘ANTI-RACISM’ PLEDGE AHEAD OF OPENING
The text of Obama’s speech, inscribed on the upper echelon of the tower, reads: «You are America. Unconstrained by habit and convention. Unencumbered by what is, ready to seize what ought to be. For everywhere in this country, there are first steps to be taken, there is new ground to cover, there are more bridges to be crossed. America is not the project of any one person. The single most powerful word in our democracy is the word ‘We.’ ‘We The People.’ ‘We Shall Overcome.’ ‘Yes We Can.’ That word is owned by no one. It belongs to everyone. Oh, what a glorious task we are given to continually try to improve this great nation of ours.»
Critics of the building had a field day on X in response to the building update, including one user comparing it to a «Klingon prison» in a nod to «Star Trek,» while others lampooned the alleged inability to read the text of the building.
«What don’t you understand about,» Targeted Victory vice president Logan Dobson posted. «YOU ARE AMERICA ED BY HABILAND UNENCUMBERED ADY TO SEIZE WE,» he continued, mocking the confusing lay out of the text.
OBAMA PRESIDENTIAL CENTER BREAKS SILENCE OVER CONTROVERSIAL BUILDING DESIGN
Former President Barack Obama’s presidential center in Chicago is facing mounting scrutiny over a speech inscription on the building that has left viewers confused. (Jeff Swensen/Getty Images)
«The dyslexic in me is not amused,» journalist and columnist Salena Zito posted.
«He put his own speech on the outside of his library?» one user posted. «Find yourself someone who loves you like Obama loves himself.»
«I gave up after developing a headache three lines from the top,» one user posted.
PROTESTERS RAGED, CRITICS MOCKED — NOW OBAMA SAYS HIS LIBRARY’S ACTUALLY OPENING
«It looks like a WW2-era German anti-aircraft tower,» another posted.
Former First Lady Michelle Obama gives her remarks during the groundbreaking ceremony of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, Sept. 28, 2021. (Sebastian Hidalgo/Reuters)
«I noticed when I was in the air that the sentences wrap around the west and south sides of the building, and looks decent in a very specific spot on the ground or very good from the air…but like that’s not an ideal design in my opinion,» a Chicago photojournalist posted to X.
Other users didn’t take issue with the campus itself, but remarked how the construction is gentrifying the South Side.
«It actually does look good,» one user posted. «Love or hate the guy, at least the presidential library will have a nice park for people to walk through. I get the whole blue vs red thing. But right now the main problem seems to be the gentrification and house price increases in the neighbourhood.»
The main tower of the Obama Presidential Center rises above Jackson Park in Chicago as construction continues on the privately run campus. (Fox 32 Chicago)
The text inscription was preparing for installation at the end of 2025, according to the Obama Foundation’s website.
«At the Museum Building, crews are preparing support structures ahead of the installation of screen text taken from President Obama’s speech «You Are America,» which marked the 50th anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery marches,» the Obama Foundation said in its year-end recap on construction for 2025.
The Obama Foundation has celebrated the center repeatedly since it was first announced more than a decade ago, describing it ahead of its opening as «a lively community hub, economic anchor, and beacon of democracy right here on the South Side of Chicago.»
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The campus has come under scrutiny from locals over gentrification concerns and over its Brutalist-style of architecture, a post-war-era style popularized in the 1950s known for its modular and minimalist designs. For locals in Chicago, they’ve dubbed the building the «The Obamalisk,» according to the New York Post, in a jab at the Brutalist-inspired design.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Obama Foundation for additional comment Tuesday morning.
barack obama,michelle obama,white house,chicago
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Italy cheers faith and flag in Milan after Paris’ ‘woke’ Olympic spectacle sparked culture clash, experts say
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Paris and Milan-Cortina delivered two sharply different Olympic spectacles, one that ignited culture-war backlash and another that leaned into heritage and national pride, a contrast some observers say mirrors the political paths of Emmanuel Macron and Giorgia Meloni.
Olympic opening ceremonies rank among the world’s most-watched cultural broadcasts, making them powerful stages for nations to project how they see themselves and how they want to be seen. «Paris tried to reinterpret tradition. Milan showcased tradition,» Hugh Dugan, an Olympic Truce advocate and former U.S. diplomat, told Fox News Digital, framing the contrast between the ceremonies as part of a broader debate over the role of culture, politics and identity in the Games.
Dugan described the 2024 Paris ceremony as «a deliberately disruptive, decentralized, urban spectacle… visually bold but polarizing,» built around a narrative collage of modern France, diversity and reinterpretation of history. He said choreography and costuming «often carried explicit social commentary,» fueling debate over whether parts of the ceremony were intentionally provocative or ideologically driven.
OLYMPICS INTERNATIONAL SKATING UNION DEFENDS CONTROVERSIAL OLYMPIC JUDGING THAT DENIED AMERICANS ICE DANCE GOLD MEDAL
The Trocadero venue while the delegations arrive, in Paris, during the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics, July 26, 2024. (Francois-Xavier Marit/Pool Photo via AP)
The 2024 Paris opening ceremony, staged along the Seine, sparked controversy after a segment widely interpreted as referencing Leonardo da Vinci’s «Last Supper» drew criticism from Christian groups and conservative commentators before organizers clarified the intent and apologized for any offense.
The moment became a flashpoint in France’s wider culture-war debate over identity, religion and the meaning of public symbolism. The Conversation reported that the ceremony triggered a national discussion over «woke ideology» and France’s cultural direction.
Some of the performers who appeared in the Last Supper depiction in the 2024 Paris Olympics opening ceremony. (Tingshu Wang/Reuters)
Emma Schubart, a research fellow at the U.K.-based Henry Jackson Society, told Fox News Digital, «The Olympics have become a stage for cultural politics as much as sport.»
She continued, «President Emmanuel Macron’s France leaned into progressive, ‘woke’ politics and post-national symbolism, while Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s Italy emphasized heritage, tradition and unapologetic national pride. These aesthetic choices reflect a widening divide over Europe’s cultural and political future.»
Flagbearers Arianna Fontana and Federico Pellegrino of Team Italy walk in the parade during the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics at San Siro Stadium on Feb. 6, 2026, in Milan, Italy. (Maja Hitij/Getty Images)
Dugan praised the Italian games, saying the Milan-Cortina Winter Games ceremony highlighted «tradition, harmony, co-existence and the Olympic truce,» emphasizing heritage, landscapes and the athlete procession over political messaging. He called the Italian approach «panoramic, heritage-driven, classical,» compared with Paris’ «maximalist, narrative-driven, experimental» style.»
IOC CHIEF LAMENTS ‘DISTRACTING’ NEWS CYCLE AHEAD OF 2026 WINTER OLYMPICS
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni attends the Inauguration ceremony of the Olympic Torch Relay for the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympic Games at the Quirinale Palace, on Dec. 5, 2025, in Rome. (Antonio Masiello/Getty Images)
Reporting on the Milan ceremony described it as a unity-focused event celebrating Italian culture, design and scenery while pushing past pre-Games tensions and highlighting the Olympic ideal of connection and peace. Coverage emphasized tradition and spectacle rather than ideological symbolism, with performances rooted in classical imagery and national identity.
Dugan, who recently launched a Truce Compliance Index tracking how countries observe the tradition, argued the difference reflected two distinct philosophies about what Olympic ceremonies should represent.
Italian actress Matilda De Angelis performs during the Winter Olympics opening ceremony in Milan, Italy, Friday, Feb. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
Paris leaned into modern identity and pluralism, he said, presenting an ambitious cultural narrative that some audiences found bold while others viewed it as politically charged. Milan, by contrast, centered its message on timeless themes tied to heritage, human connection and the Olympic truce.
French President Emmanuel Macron, right, waves during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games on July 26, 2024, in Paris. (Christian Liewig-Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images)
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The contrast between the ceremonies highlights a broader evolution of the Olympics themselves. Host nations increasingly use opening ceremonies to project national identity and values, whether through modern reinterpretation or traditional symbolism.
olympics,italy,france,culture opinion,sports,emmanuel macron
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Conmoción en Italia: un nene de dos años está en coma tras haber sido trasplantado con un corazón “quemado”
Tommaso, un nene italiano de dos años y tres meses, pelea por su vida en el Hospital Monaldi de Nápoles después de un trasplante fallido de corazón. El órgano, que llegó desde el hospital San Maurizio de Bolzano, habría sufrido daños irreversibles por el uso de hielo seco durante el traslado, según la hipótesis que investiga la Justicia.
La situación es desesperante: el menor permanece en coma inducido y conectado a una máquina de oxigenación por membrana extracorpórea (ECMO), mientras su familia espera la llegada de un nuevo órgano compatible. El caso generó conmoción en Italia y puso bajo la lupa los protocolos de conservación y transporte de órganos para trasplante.
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El corazón se habría “quemado” por el frío extremo durante el traslado
De acuerdo a la investigación de los Carabineros del NAS (Unidad especializada en seguridad alimentaria y sanitaria), el corazón fue transportado en un contenedor frigorífico convencional con hielo seco, en lugar de hielo tradicional. Este material puede alcanzar temperaturas cercanas a los -80 grados, lo que habría provocado que el órgano se “queme” por el frío y quedara inutilizable. Investigan a seis medicos por el trasplante fallido. (Foto: gentileza Il Mattino).
“El uso de hielo seco implica temperaturas de 70 grados bajo cero, lo que provocó que el órgano se quemara por el frío”, explicó el abogado de la familia, Francesco Petruzzi, en declaraciones a la televisión pública italiana. La caja refrigerada ya fue incautada y la Justicia ordenó un peritaje para determinar si se incumplieron los protocolos de conservación y transporte.
El trasplante falló y el menor sigue en estado crítico
El trasplante se realizó el 23 de diciembre, pero el nuevo corazón no funcionó correctamente desde el primer momento. El nene tuvo que ser conectado a una máquina ECMO y permanece internado en terapia intensiva, en estado crítico.
Para agravar el cuadro, una segunda opinión médica del Hospital Bambino Gesù de Roma advirtió que el chico presenta una hemorragia cerebral y una infección, lo que complica aún más la posibilidad de someterlo a un nuevo trasplante.
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No obstante, el hospital Monaldi informó que “el Equipo Cardíaco considera que el joven paciente aún cumple los requisitos para permanecer en la lista de espera para trasplantes”.
El niño, que sufre desde que tenía cuatro meses una cardiopatía dilatada, “permanece hospitalizado en cuidados intensivos bajo estrecha monitorización médica e instrumental, así como en consultas con especialistas”, indicó el comunicado
La madre de Tommaso: “Mi hijo es un guerrero”
“Mi hijo es un guerrero. Y yo, como él, tampoco me rendiré. Debe llegar un corazón nuevo para que pueda regresar a casa”, comentó este fin de semana Patrizia Mercolini, la mamá de Tommaso, en las puertas del hospital Monaldi.
“Algunos días después nos llamaron para decirnos que el corazoncito nuevo no funcionaba, por lo que tenían que conectar a mi hijo a una máquina para la oxigenación fuera del cuerpo de la sangre mientras esperaba a un nuevo órgano. Esperemos que llegue pronto. Las horas pasan y hay poco tiempo“, explicó la mujer.
Investigación judicial y suspensión del servicio de trasplantes
La Fiscalía investiga a seis profesionales de la salud por un posible delito de lesiones por negligencia.
Mientras tanto, el servicio de trasplantes pediátricos del Hospital Monaldi fue suspendido de manera cautelar y las autoridades revisan los protocolos aplicados en todo el proceso.
La familia del menor, que lleva 55 días hospitalizado, pidió toda la documentación clínica para buscar nuevas valoraciones médicas, incluso en otros centros de Italia y Europa.
El caso cobró mucha relevancia en los medios italianos y la primera ministra, la ultraderechisgta Giorgia Meloni, llamó a la madre de Tommaso este martes. “Se hará justicia”, le dijo Meloni a Mercolino, y prometió hacer “todo lo posible” para encontrar un nuevo donante compatible.
Italia, trasplante, Corazón
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