Elon Musk’s surrogacy of Donald Trump’s campaign was largely cringeworthy and humiliating, as was his self-proclaimed “first buddy” tour at Mar-a-Lago, which prompted Trump to quip that he “can’t get rid of him.” Even so, Musk’s participation in key meetings and planning sessions — which included a call with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, just weeks after the Wall Street Journal reported that Musk had regular contact with Vladimir Putin since late 2022 — reflects his worryingly powerful position within the incoming administration.

One of Musk’s recent rewards for his service to the Trump campaign was the unveiling of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) on November 12. According to the Trump transition team’s announcement, DOGE will aim to “dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulation, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies.” To lead DOGE, Trump taps Musk as well as biotech mogul and failed presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, who also joined Trump on the campaign trail as a surrogate and sycophant.

As with many of Trump’s policy proposals, the details are vague and contradictory. For example, DOGE “will provide advice and guidance from outside of Government” and is clearly not a government department, which would require an act of Congress to create. On its face, DOGE’s position as an external advisory body makes it seem totally toothless, relegating two feckless losers to the kids’ table to get them out of Trump’s hair.