'Stick to the subject': Musk dodges questions on Trump's policies
02 Jun 2025

In a recent interview with CBS Sunday Morning, Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, deflected questions about his ally Donald Trump's policies.

The interview started with reporter David Pogue asking Musk about his views on Trump's administration's policies, including the increasing restrictions on international students.

However, Musk quickly shifted the focus to his work at SpaceX.

Response to questions about Trump's policies
Policy stance

Musk said, "I think we want to stick to the subject of the day, which is, like, spaceships," when asked about Trump's policies.

Pogue replied, "Oh, okay, I was told, 'Anything's good.'"

"No," Musk said, gazing off into the distance. "Well ... no."

He, however, clarified his position on Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which has been facing criticism for making aggressive cuts across federal agencies.

"If there was some cut, real or imagined, everyone would blame DOGE," Musk said.

'Stuck in a bind' over Trump administration
Fact

Musk also admitted he feels "a little stuck in a bind" with the Trump administration, saying, "I don't want to speak out against it, but I also don't want to be held responsible for everything it's doing."

Musk's future plans and current focus
Business priorities

Musk, who has been scaling back his government work but still plans to stay involved for a "day or two" per week, said DOGE will continue as "a way of life."

He added he would have some participation in it, but his primary focus has to be on his companies at this point.

This statement comes amid ongoing anti-Musk protests against Tesla.

Response to Starship test flight failure
Mars mission

Musk's interview was conducted before SpaceX's Starship test flight on Tuesday, which successfully launched but lost control during reentry.

The first-stage Super Heavy booster exploded shortly after liftoff, and the upper-stage Starship suffered a fuel leak during reentry and exploded.

Despite this setback, Musk remains optimistic about his plans for SpaceX, saying he will speed up testing with launches every three to four weeks.

Ambitious timeline for Mars mission
Mars timeline

Despite the recent failures, Musk has set an ambitious timeline for SpaceX's Starship program.

He hopes to launch the first uncrewed Starship to Mars by the end of 2026.

This mission will feature a simulated crew made up of robots designed in Tesla's Optimus humanoid format.

The first human missions could follow in the second or third landings, Musk said.