President Donald Trump promised that social security "won't be touched" during his first joint TV interview with Elon Musk on Fox News amid the Social Security Administration's acting commissioner stepping down from her role, the Associated Press reported.
Musk, Trump's biggest ally and head of the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency, had much to add to Sean Hannity's show, which aired at 9 p.m. on Tuesday.
The interview, taped at the White House on Friday, highlights Musk's efforts to cut federal spending and slash the federal workforce as part of DOGE.
Social Security Acting Commissioner Michelle King departed from the agency after three decades of service after her departure was initiated when she refused to provide DOGE with sensitive government information.
When Hannity asked Trump if he could assure the American people that social security would be retained, Trump said, "Social Security won't be touched."
"Other than if there's fraud or something- we're going to find it; it's going to be strengthened - but won't be touched. Medicare, Medicaid, none of that stuff is going to be touched," he said.
Musk has drawn criticism from Democrats in Congress and others for the methods he and his team at DOGE are using to cut spending, including foreign aid, and eliminate jobs across the bureaucracy.
Trump and Musk met reporters in the Oval Office last week, standing by DOGE's federal cost-cutting.
The Delta Airlines plane crash on Monday has reignited conversations about air safety after Trump's administration recently fired hundreds of FAA workers over the weekend despite the fatal mid-air collision at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport which claimed the lives of all 67 passengers being attributed to staffing shortages.
Since Trump began a second term at the White House, DOGE has rapidly reduced the federal workforce across several departments.
Musk's SpaceX team was scheduled to meet with Federal Aviation Administration officials on Monday to "suggest" ways to make skies safer despite outside concerns about a potential conflict of interest.
Fox News previously released a tiny snippet of the interview on Sunday where Musk said he "used to be adored by the left" but "less so these days" because of the work he's doing at Trump's direction.
"They call it Trump derangement syndrome. You don't realize how real this is until you can't reason with people," Musk said, adding that normal conversations with Democrats about the president are difficult because "it's like they've become completely irrational."
Trump also signed a flurry of new executive orders from his home, Mar-a-Lago in Florida.
These new actions follow the flock of executive orders he has already signed, including contentious takes on trans rights and border security.
Trump's Mar-a-Lago club is the setting Tuesday night for an awards program by America's Future, which is led by Flynn to preserve individual rights and promote American values and traditions, according to its website. The event, celebrating American exceptionalism, will honor one member from the Army, the Navy, the Marines, the Air Force, and the Space Force.
The event includes a poolside reception, musical performances, and dinner in Mar-a-Lago's Grand Ballroom, where other award presentations are expected from a lineup that includes such names as Russell Brand, Ted Nugen,t and Mike Tyson.
It's unclear whether Trump will participate in the event.
Musk, Trump's biggest ally and head of the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency, had much to add to Sean Hannity's show, which aired at 9 p.m. on Tuesday.
The interview, taped at the White House on Friday, highlights Musk's efforts to cut federal spending and slash the federal workforce as part of DOGE.
Social Security Acting Commissioner Michelle King departed from the agency after three decades of service after her departure was initiated when she refused to provide DOGE with sensitive government information.
When Hannity asked Trump if he could assure the American people that social security would be retained, Trump said, "Social Security won't be touched."
"Other than if there's fraud or something- we're going to find it; it's going to be strengthened - but won't be touched. Medicare, Medicaid, none of that stuff is going to be touched," he said.
Musk has drawn criticism from Democrats in Congress and others for the methods he and his team at DOGE are using to cut spending, including foreign aid, and eliminate jobs across the bureaucracy.
Trump and Musk met reporters in the Oval Office last week, standing by DOGE's federal cost-cutting.
The Delta Airlines plane crash on Monday has reignited conversations about air safety after Trump's administration recently fired hundreds of FAA workers over the weekend despite the fatal mid-air collision at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport which claimed the lives of all 67 passengers being attributed to staffing shortages.
Since Trump began a second term at the White House, DOGE has rapidly reduced the federal workforce across several departments.
Musk's SpaceX team was scheduled to meet with Federal Aviation Administration officials on Monday to "suggest" ways to make skies safer despite outside concerns about a potential conflict of interest.
Fox News previously released a tiny snippet of the interview on Sunday where Musk said he "used to be adored by the left" but "less so these days" because of the work he's doing at Trump's direction.
"They call it Trump derangement syndrome. You don't realize how real this is until you can't reason with people," Musk said, adding that normal conversations with Democrats about the president are difficult because "it's like they've become completely irrational."
Trump also signed a flurry of new executive orders from his home, Mar-a-Lago in Florida.
These new actions follow the flock of executive orders he has already signed, including contentious takes on trans rights and border security.
Trump's Mar-a-Lago club is the setting Tuesday night for an awards program by America's Future, which is led by Flynn to preserve individual rights and promote American values and traditions, according to its website. The event, celebrating American exceptionalism, will honor one member from the Army, the Navy, the Marines, the Air Force, and the Space Force.
The event includes a poolside reception, musical performances, and dinner in Mar-a-Lago's Grand Ballroom, where other award presentations are expected from a lineup that includes such names as Russell Brand, Ted Nugen,t and Mike Tyson.
It's unclear whether Trump will participate in the event.
