Dan Mitchinson: US correspondent on Donald Trump picking Elon Musk to lead new Government department

Donald Trump is tapping the shoulder of billionaire Elon Musk for a new role.

The incoming US president has handed the Tesla boss leadership of the new Department of Government Efficiency, alongside Republican Vivek Ramaswamy.

Its goal will be cutting regulations and bureaucracy.

But US correspondent Dan Mitchinson says it's not necessarily a job.

"These guys can keep their real jobs that pay a gazillion dollars - and still have influence over policy."

LISTEN ABOVE

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
International correspondence with Ends and Eye Insurance Peace of Mind
for New Zealand Business.

Speaker 2 (00:07):
Jean Mitchinson, US correspondent with US Now, Hello, Dan, Hi there, Hey,
Elon's in.

Speaker 1 (00:11):
He's got his job.

Speaker 3 (00:13):
Well he is. Well, you know, I don't know if
it's going to be a job or not. I mean,
what he's going to do is he's going to lead,
along with the former GOP candidate of the Vikramaswami, He's
going to lead the Department of Government Efficiency. So these
guys can keep their real jobs at pay a gazillion
dollars and still have influence over policy and you know,
maybe run again in four years. I mean that's certainly

(00:36):
for a vake. I mean, he's going to keep his
finger in the political pot. We know that.

Speaker 1 (00:40):
So does it sound to you like it's not official?

Speaker 2 (00:42):
I mean, the fact that they've been appointed to lead
the thing sort of suggests that they will actually be
hands on managers. But are you suggested it's more of
a consultancy role or something.

Speaker 3 (00:51):
I think so, I think it's going to be more
of a remote thing. I mean, I can't see these
guys moving across country to take a job that's going
to pay you know, probably one hundred thousand, maybe a
couple of hundred thousand dollars a year when they're making
you know, big millions and millions of year. But basically
their job is going to be do what mister Trump said,
dismantled the government bureaucracy of bureaucracy and slash all these
regulations that are going on and cut wasteful expenditures and

(01:14):
restructure a lot of the federal agencies. So we've also
got Mike Huckabee, who they announced he ran for president
of years back for more Arkans, but uh picked to
be the ambassad at Israel. I mean, he was just
coming out, well all kind of Marco Rubio, he's likely
to be the Secretary of State. Now that'll put him
on track to be the first Latino to serve in
this role. So, I mean, these are these themes were

(01:35):
just coming out one after another today.

Speaker 1 (01:36):
What about the Fox News host?

Speaker 3 (01:39):
Uh, yeah, this is going to be interesting. A guy
by the name of Pete Pigsith, who is a military veteran,
a Fox News host. He's going to be the Defense secretary.
And you know, I mean, if you watch Fox, you
know a little bit about him. If you don't. Uh,
you're gonna learn a lot more about him, I think.
I mean, Trump says he's smart, and he's tough, and
he's a believer in America first, so I think he'll
be picking a lot more people from these you know,

(02:02):
I mean, we we've had people from Fox News that
have gone into to politics before, for both the Republicans
and even Democrats in the past, so this isn't a first,
but it's a it's a very high position.

Speaker 2 (02:11):
Obviously, does he continue to be a Fox News host
or does he does he?

Speaker 3 (02:15):
Oh no, no, no, no, he's going to have to
give up that that position.

Speaker 1 (02:18):
Definitely what a pay cart.

Speaker 3 (02:21):
Probably, yes, probably, But he's doing it for his country.
And then after a couple of years or whatever, when
when Trump gets tired of him, he'll he'll probably go
back on the cable rounds and you know, write a
tell all book and make a heck of a lot
more money than he's making right now.

Speaker 2 (02:35):
Nobody ever does anything for their country, dan They only
do it for their own personal their own personal.

Speaker 1 (02:40):
Ambition, don't they.

Speaker 3 (02:41):
True?

Speaker 2 (02:42):
See Like, suddenly I know who this guy's and I
didn't know beforehand. Okay, the delay in the sentencing over
the hashmaney stuff for Donald Trump. It's only is it
only delayed until November nineteen a win, is it?

Speaker 3 (02:53):
Yeah, Yeah, just just for the time being, for a
short period of about a week or so. And this
goes back to the faults to find the business records
and store me Daniels. So the judge today said, Okay,
we're going to put a stay on this all the
deadlines five months before he did where he takes office,
and this will allow mister Trump to avoid the maximum
sentence of up to four years in prison. So we're

(03:16):
going to find out what happens in the next week
or two. And you know, this has been back and
forth too, because we had the Supreme Court over the
summer said that the president should enjoy immunity from criminal
prosecution for most of the actions. So yeah, it'll be
interesting to see what this judge decides in about a
week or so.

Speaker 1 (03:31):
What's Milania's problem with Jill Biden?

Speaker 3 (03:34):
I don't know, isn't this kind of this is kind
of interesting too, because I mean she's not going to
the meeting tomorrow. I mean, this is going to be
sort of a hand off between President Biden and mister
Trump right now. And you know, Jill, I mean, Biden
had authorized the FBI to snoop around, you know, in
down in Florida, and people were saying, well, you have

(03:55):
to meet Joe Biden, and Milania supposedly said no, I
don't have to. So this is kind of awkward. And
now they're saying, well, the reason behind this no show
is because she's got media conflicts because of this new book.
There's this new memoir that she has out, so she's
had to turn down this offer of meeting President Biden's wife. Awkward, Yes, petty,
maybe in the big scheme of things, you know, it's

(04:16):
not me, it's not huge, but it's just it's very awkward.
I think.

Speaker 2 (04:19):
Yeah, Dan, thank you very much appreciated, Dan Minchins and
you as correspondent. Anybody get the feeling that Malaney just
wishes the circus was all over it and want to
be part of it.

Speaker 1 (04:27):
I think so. For more from Hither Duplessy Allen Drive,
listen live to news Talks. It'd be from four pm weekdays,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio