President Donald Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk will participate in their first joint interview on Feb. 18 with Sean Hannity, Fox News announced on Feb. 14.
The interview will be conducted at the White House, taped that Tuesday afternoon, and then aired that night during Hannity’s eponymous show. According to the network, the interview will focus on Trump’s first 100 days back in office and the new U.S. Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
It comes at a time when DOGE, which Musk leads, faces significant backlash for its work in finding areas of federal spending that could be cut, with opponents asserting that Musk and his small team should not have access to payment information in places such as the Treasury Department.
Musk appeared with Trump in the Oval Office on Feb. 11 to defend his work, and Trump has ordered all federal agencies to work with DOGE to downsize the government.
“We’re really just talking about adding common sense controls that should be present that haven’t been present,” Musk said. “Let’s look at each expenditure and say, ‘Is this actually in the best interest of people?’ And if it is, it’s proved. If it’s not, we should think about it.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced on Feb. 12 the release of several contract receipts that DOGE helped eliminate.
“We have contracts upon contracts that we can send and provide this information to you,” Leavitt said. “Let me be very clear: we are not trying to hide anything. We have been incredibly transparent, and we will continue to be.”
Meanwhile, Trump’s executive order to freeze all federal funding to root out fraud continues to be blocked by district judges.
“DOGE has found massive amounts of FRAUD, WASTE, INCOMPETENCE, AND ABUSE, but even knowing this, a highly political, activist Judge wants us to immediately make payment, anyway,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Feb. 12. ”In other words, pay, even though you know the payment was fraudulently requested to be made. DOGE caught them - The Judge just doesn’t care. It doesn’t make sense!!!”
United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has also recently taken legal action against Musk, who has called for the program’s dissolution and accused it of essentially being a money laundering operation. USAID’s lawsuit argues that Musk should have been first confirmed by the Senate before beginning DOGE work. DOGE itself was created by executive order, and Musk was named a special government employee by The White House.
