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.”

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Tech billionaire Elon Musk said Wednesday that his budget-cutting effort on behalf of President-elect Donald Trump would most likely not find $2 trillion in savings, backtracking on a goal he set earlier as co-head of a new advisory body,

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While campaigning for Donald Trump in October, Elon Musk claimed he could slash “at least $2 trillion” in government spending. Now that Musk has started laying the groundwork for his so-called “Department of Government Efficiency,

Musk's Tesla stake rose by $111 billion — 65% — last year. All but $2 billion of Musk’s Tesla gain and about 98% of what other Tesla shareholders gained came after Election Day, when Musk began hanging out extensively with Donald Trump and started calling himself Trump’s “first buddy.

It's no secret that Elon Musk has been playing a big role in the soon-to-be Donald Trump administration. Musk, the world's richest man, endorsed Trump ahead of the 2024 presidential election. He spent Election Night hanging out with the president-elect.