As President Donald Trump marked his 100th day in office on Tuesday, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) said it has cut at least $160 billion in waste, fraud and abuse in the federal government.
While the department has made several high-profile cuts during the Trump administration’s first 100 days, DOGE head Elon Musk shared that Trump’s cost-cutting is just getting started.
“It’s a long-term enterprise,” Musk said during an exclusive interview Thursday on “Jesse Watters Primetime.” “Because if we take our eye off the ball, the waste and fraud will come roaring back.”
Watters joined Musk and several team members at the DOGE headquarters, including “Big Balls,” who revealed the story behind his nickname and detailed his work rooting out fraud and waste.
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The DOGE minds elaborated on more shocking discoveries from the department’s first months during their “Jesse Watters Primetime” exclusive.
With no plans of slowing down, DOGE has made a number of consequential and controversial cuts in recent months.
One of the most talked-about DOGE targets in Trump’s first term was spending at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
Fox News Digital previously reported that nearly 15,000 grants worth $60 billion are set to be eliminated, according to internal documents. The grants amount to about 90% of foreign aid contracts and come after a review on spending by the State Department.
DOGE’s efforts at USAID did not come without opposition, including a federal judge in Maryland who ruled that the moves were likely unconstitutional. In March, a federal appeals court granted the Trump administration’s motion to extend a stay allowing DOGE to continue operating at USAID.
DOGE has also announced over the past few months that it has cut hundreds of millions in DEI contracts and made efforts to cut federal spending by trimming the federal workforce.
“If there’s one group of people who really have a shot at success, it’s the people here. They’re up until 2 a.m. Monday through Sunday. DOGE does not recognize weekends,” one DOGE member told Fox News host Jesse Watters.
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As the team shared cases of wasteful spending from top departments to smaller agencies, Watters asked how the findings made Musk and the DOGE members feel.
“Unfortunately, like the 100th time you’ve heard it, it’s hard not to get a little numb, and by the 200th time, you’re like, well, OK, it was just another day at the office,” Musk replied.
DOGE’s efforts have prompted opposition from Democratic lawmakers and many in the American public. From protests to vandalism, public outrage against Musk and DOGE has escalated over the past 100 days.
One DOGE member, who joined Musk on “Jesse Watters Primetime,” revealed he dropped out of Harvard University to “serve my country,” but faced backlash.
“It’s been unfortunate to see lost friendships. Most of campus hates me now, but I think fundamentally, I hope people realize through conversations like this that reform is genuinely needed.”
Another DOGE member praised the work to bring about “permanent change” in the federal government.
While DOGE has made a mark on the first 100 days of Trump’s second term, the department is still running full steam ahead even as Musk begins his planned departure.
Fox News Digital’s Andrew Mark Miller and Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.
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