Elon Musk’s latest appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience is setting the internet on fire—but not for the reasons you’d expect. In a sprawling three-hour conversation, Musk doubled down on claims of government fraud and waste, took jabs at billionaire George Soros, and even entertained conspiracy theories about Fort Knox’s missing gold. But despite all the bold statements, he provided little new information about his controversial government initiative, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Musk, now a key figure in Donald Trump’s administration, has been tasked with cutting government spending, but his methods—and the secrecy surrounding DOGE—have raised alarm bells in Washington. The Tesla and SpaceX CEO claimed DOGE is simply making recommendations, but critics argue it operates with little transparency. And while Musk defended the initiative’s hiring process, skeptics point to reports that some DOGE staffers are as young as 19.
During the interview, Rogan asked Musk’s AI chatbot, Grok, whether Fort Knox still held its gold reserves. The bot fired back with a snarky, “Are you a f—— conspiracy theorist?”—prompting laughter from Musk and Rogan. But Musk was dead serious when he made unverified claims about fraud within Social Security and FEMA, citing “basic searches” that he says revealed millions of dead people marked as alive. Experts, however, were quick to push back, arguing that Musk’s claims were misleading and lacked concrete evidence.
As Musk’s influence in Washington grows, so does the controversy. His appearance at Trump’s first Cabinet meeting last week cemented his role as a key decision-maker, but questions remain: How much power does DOGE actually wield? How are its staffers vetted? And is Musk’s war on government inefficiency uncovering real fraud—or just stirring chaos?
One thing is certain—this won’t be the last time Musk shakes up the conversation.
