It is “a shame” Elon Musk didn't focus on changing the US government “for good”, Walter Isaacson, author of the billionaire's 2023 biography, has said.
The US journalist completed the biography ‘Elon Musk' before the Tesla CEO's appointment to the Donald Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a cabinet-level office created to cut government spending and reduce regulatory burdens.
Isaacson, in an interview with Cspan, said Musk “had strong views about social issues, including his daughter's transition, which he described as part of a ‘woke mind virus.”
“I watched him move from being an Obama supporter to becoming very anti-woke and populist. I knew he wanted to go into government,” he added.
The biographer argued that Musk's approach inside the administration undermined his potential impact.
“It's a shame because had he focused on what he's good at, like going to the Pentagon and addressing inefficient procurement or challenging how projects are run, he could have changed government for good. But instead, he started firing people and reorganising agencies in ways he wasn't suited for,” the writer said.
The clip was shared to X where a user criticised Isaacson's comments, arguing that it was disappointing for a biographer to overlook deeper insights into Musk's work.
Musk responded, “I need to tell my story myself and highlight lessons that I learned along the way that would be useful to others.”
Once a donor to mostly Democratic candidates, Musk became one of Trump's most influential supporters during the 2024 campaign, contributing millions to America PAC and appearing at rallies to promote ideas such as a “government efficiency commission.”
When Trump returned to office in 2025, Musk was appointed a senior adviser and placed in charge of DOGE. His tenure saw aggressive cost-cutting, rapid staff shake-ups and ambitious transparency proposals, including public dashboards showing wasteful spending. The billionaire left his DOGE position earlier this year in May, posting online that the department's mission would “only strengthen over time.”
In July, Musk announced he was launching a new political party called the America Party, as an alternative to both Republicans and Democrats. He claimed the party would “give you back your freedom” and said that the two-party system was broken.
