Trump defends Musk over access to Treasury Department data

WASHINGTON

US President Donald Trump defended billionaire Elon Musk on Monday after reports that the Treasury Department granted his team access to the federal payment system, and stressed that Musk "can't do and won't do anything without our approval."

When asked about the move, Trump said, "He’s got access only to letting people go that he thinks are no good, if we agree with him."

"Elon can't do and won't do anything without our approval. And we'll give him the approval where appropriate. Where not appropriate, we won't," he added.

According to reports by several US media outlets, The Treasury Department has granted Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) team access to the federal payment system, which handles trillions in government expenditures, despite internal resistance from officials.

Trump also claimed that Musk discovered $100 million worth of condoms being sent to Hamas, despite previously stating that $50 million worth of condoms were going to Gaza—claims that remain unsupported by evidence or public data.

A review of publicly available USAID data on condom shipments from 2007 to 2023 shows no record of such deliveries to Gaza. The only shipment to the Middle East during this period was a $45,680 supply sent to Jordan in 2023, which was noted as the first condom shipment to the region since 2019.

Trump appointed Musk to lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a commission created on the president’s first day in office, with the stated aim of eliminating wasteful spending.

Musk’s DOGE is also at the center of controversy following reports that two top security officials at USAID were placed on administrative leave after refusing to grant access to personnel from Musk's office.

Around 60 senior USAID officials were reportedly placed on leave last week over allegations that they attempted to bypass Trump's executive order to pause foreign aid.

Musk had claimed in a social media post Monday that Trump had agreed to dismantle USAID, but neither Trump nor the White House has publicly confirmed the claim.

In a letter to Rubio, a group of Democratic senators from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee including Jeanne Shaheen, Brian Schatz, Chris Coons and Chris Murphy argued that Trump cannot legally eliminate USAID without congressional approval.

When asked about the issue, Trump called the USAID staff "radical left lunatics."

"I love the concept, but they turn out to be radical left lunatics. And the concept of it is good, but it's all about the people," he said.