Elon Musk walked back his previous claim that he could cut at least $2 trillion from the federal budget, saying Wednesday that half that amount would be “an epic outcome.”

Key Takeaways Elon Musk said Wednesday that his goal of cutting $2 trillion in government spending may be a difficult number to reach, with half that figure more likely.Musk said in an interview that cutting waste in the federal government is a "target rich environment,

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.

While Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk never did face off in that cage match, "Uncle Elon" has bested Zuck in the political arena, becoming one of the most powerful unelected figures in modern US history.

Elon Musk praised Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg's move to end fact-checking on Facebook and Instagram, following Musk's lead after he implemented community notes on X.