Trump has pledged to create an efficiency committee headed by Elon Musk if elected

NEW YORK:

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump said Thursday he would create a government efficiency commission headed by billionaire backer Elon Musk if he wins the Nov. 5 election, during a wide-ranging speech outlining his economic vision for the country.

The former president has been discussing the idea of ​​a government efficiency committee with aides for weeks, people familiar with those talks said. Reuters. However, his speech at the Economic Club of New York on Thursday was the first time he publicly supported the idea.

It was also the first time Trump said Musk had agreed to lead the body. He did not specify exactly how such a commission would work, except that it would develop a plan to eliminate “fraud and improper payments” within six months of its formation.

“I will create a government efficiency commission tasked with conducting a complete fiscal and performance audit of the entire federal government and making recommendations for drastic reforms,” ​​Trump said.

Musk said in an Aug. 19 podcast that he had conversations with the former president about the matter and that he would be interested in serving on the body.

“I look forward to serving America if the opportunity presents itself,” Musk wrote on X on Thursday. “No need for pay, title, recognition.”

In his opening remarks, Trump pointed to a number of business leaders in the audience, including JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon, Blackstone Group CEO Steven Schwartzman and his former Treasury secretary Steve Mnuchin.

Also in attendance at Thursday’s event was Cantor Fitzgerald CEO Howard Lutnick, who serves as co-chairman of Trump’s transition team.

On the campaign trail, Trump has often blamed Democratic vice-presidential nominee Kamala Harris for rising prices of everyday items during President Joe Biden’s tenure.

While headline inflation has slowed over the past two years, many U.S. consumers are still unhappy with the higher prices they have to pay for food, gas and other goods, according to polls.