Elon Musk calls for US to 'delete entire agencies' from federal government

Elon Musk has called on the US government to 'delete entire agencies', as part of his ongoing campaign under the Trump administration to drastically reduce government spending and reframe national priorities.

The tech billionaire argued that rather than merely reforming existing agencies, the US government needed a more radical approach. “We should delete entire agencies,” he said. “If we don’t remove the roots of the problem, it’s easy for it to regrow.”

Speaking via video at the World Governments Summit in Dubai Musk also presented a sweeping critique of the current system in the United States, claiming the US currently prioritises the ‘rule of bureaucracy’ over the rule of the people.

“We have rule by bureaucracy, not by the people,” Musk declared, wearing a black T-shirt that read 'Tech Support'.

"There's a tremendous amount of overregulation that's happened over time, and this is this is an inevitable consequence of a long period of prosperity, is that you're going to get more and more rules and regulations, more laws accumulate over time. And the normal course function for getting rid of rules and regulations is war, and it needs to be some kind of existential war where you have to do a reset in order to avoid being defeated in a war," he said.

Musk pointed to efforts like the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the National Endowment for Democracy, both of which have seen significant reductions under Trump. He questioned their impact, remarking, “How much democracy have they really achieved recently?”

His speech also revealed a more isolationist approach to US foreign policy, particularly in the Middle East, where the US has been deeply involved in conflicts since the 9/11 attacks.

He stated that the US