Elon Musk initially pledged to cut some $2 trillion from the federal budget, alongside his DOGE partner, politician Vivek Ramaswamy.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk acknowledged that his target of cutting $2 trillion in government spending would likely be difficult to complete, with half that number looking like a more realistic option.

Elon Musk, who U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has tapped to oversee a government cost-cutting effort, acknowledged that his declared goal of cutting $2 trillion in spending from the $6.8 trillion federal budget would be a long shot.