Elon Musk reveals what keeps him up at night amid ongoing DOGE mission
Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) head Elon Musk shared his concerns for the country and future generations during the second installment of his exclusive interview with Fox News chief political anchor Bret Baier.
"Well, there's a lot of things that I suppose that I worry about. And some of these things will seem esoteric to people. The birth rate is very low in almost every country, and unless that changes, civilization will disappear," Musk said in part two of his "Special Report" exclusive interview Friday.
Musk pointed to declining birth rates in the U.S. and Korea, warning that "nothing seems to be turning that around. Humanity is dying."
ELON MUSK, DOGE TEAM OFFER UNPRECEDENTED PEEK BEHIND THE CURTAIN OF TRUMP'S COST-CUTTING DEPARTMENT
After dishing out details about DOGE's cost-cutting mission, Baier took a more personal turn in his one-on-one with Musk Friday. In addition to his concern about declining birthrates, the Tesla founder also explained his worries for America's future.
"I worry generally about the strength of America. America is the central column that holds up all of Western civilization... If that column fails, it's all over. You can't run off to New Zealand or some other place. It's over. So either we strengthen that column and make sure America is strong, and we'll be strong for a long time, or that roof's coming down," he told Baier.
Musk said he remained optimistic about "the potential for a great future as long as America remains the land of freedom and opportunity." He went on to praise the efforts of President Donald Trump and the DOGE team in fighting to secure the "fundamental principles" of freedom.
He previously appeared Thursday on the program with seven DOGE members, Steve Davis, Joe Gebbia, Aram Moghaddassi, Brad Smith, Anthony Armstrong, Tom Krause and Tyler Hassen. The group offered a behind-the-scenes glimpse at the department’s work from the Internal Revenue Source to the Interior Department to Social Security.
DOGE DEPUTY, TREASURY SECRETARY DISH ON CRUSADE TO PULL THE IRS OUT OF ITS ‘REALLY BIG HOLE’
As of March 28, DOGE claims on its site it has saved Americans $130 billion, or $807.45 per taxpayer.
President Donald Trump tasked the organization with optimizing the federal government, streamlining operations and slashing spending and gave the agency 18 months to do it.
The department has canceled numerous diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives at federal agencies, consulting contracts, leases for underused federal buildings and duplicate agencies and programs.
During part two of his interview on "Special Report," Musk was pressed about growing protests and scrutiny from critics over his fraud-exposing work.
"Everything I do is under extreme scrutiny. So there's not an action I can take that doesn't get scrutiny six ways to Sunday. Every action that the DOGE team does is public... It's the most amount of transparency there's been about any government thing ever," he said, noting his companies are "suffering" due to his role in the Trump administration.
Musk and DOGE have been a lightning rod for criticism due to the department's commitment to slashing waste, fraud and abuse in the federal government. Critics contend the organization has too much access to federal systems and should not be permitted to cancel federal contracts or make cuts to various agencies.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Fox News Digital's Greg Wehner contributed to this report.