Trump says Musk will review “just about” every federal agency

Washington — President Trump, in a news conference with the Japanese prime minister, indicated that Elon Musk will have wide latitude to go into federal departments and agencies as he aims to slash federal spending by $2 trillion.

He said he’s asked Musk to review “just about” every federal agency.

“Pentagon, Education, just about everything,” the president said. “We’re gonna go through everything.”

Mr. Trump said he tells Musk where to go, and he goes to that agency. 

“I will pick out a target, and I say, ‘Go in,'” the president said. 

In response to a reporter’s question about why DOGE needs access to Americans’ personal information, like bank accounts and Social Security numbers, the president appeared to support DOGE’s efforts while indicating that it did not need the data.

“Well, it doesn’t, but they get it very easily, I mean we don’t have very good security in our country,” Mr. Trump said. However, DOGE has obtained access to the information because of the president’s orders allowing it, not because of a lapse in security.

He added DOGE would be examining trillions in federal funds spent “perhaps illegally.” He said he’s proud of the job “this group of young people” is doing.

The president weighed in on a DOGE staff member, Marco Elez, who resigned, according to the Wall Street Journal, which linked him to a now-defunct social media account expressing racist and eugenic views. The Journal found a post from last July that read, “Just for the record, I was racist before it was cool.” In September, another post on X read, “You could not pay me to marry outside of my ethnicity. Normalize Indian hate.” CBS News has not confirmed the existence of the account or posts. The Journal said that Elez did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Vice President JD Vance, in response to a poll on X, said of Elez’s employment, “I obviously disagree with some of Elez’s posts, but I don’t think stupid social media activity should ruin a kid’s life. We shouldn’t reward journalists who try to destroy people. Ever. So I say bring him back. If he’s a bad dude or a terrible member of the team, fire him for that.”

Mr. Trump said he wasn’t familiar with the details, but if Vance supported bringing the employee back, “I’m with the vice president.”

The president was also asked whether he intended to fire the FBI agents who worked on the investigations into the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol.

“No, but I’ll fire some of them because some of them were corrupt,” he replied.

During the news conference, which followed Mr. Trump’s meeting with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, the president praised Ishiba and had warm words for the U.S.-Japan relationship, but still indicated that Japan would be subject to new tariffs.

“We’re going to have tariffs, mostly reciprocal tariffs,” Mr. Trump said, and those would be announced early next week. “Very reciprocal, because I think that’s the only fair way to do it. That way nobody’s hurt,” he added, “as opposed to a flat-fee tariff.”

The president also said that Nippon Steel’s deal to buy U.S. Steel would be restructured as an investment, rather than an outright purchase. 

“They’ve agreed to invest heavily in U.S. Steel, as opposed to own it, and that sounds very exciting,” the president said. “And we’re going to meet with Nissan next week, the head of Nissan, very great company, and they’ll work out the details,” Trump said (he appeared to have said “Nissan,” though Nippon is the name of the Japanese steel company. 

Ishiba said that Japanese technology would be provided, and that “better quality products will be manufactured in the United States.”

The president also announced Japan would be taking in new shipments of American liquified natural gas or LNG “in record numbers.” 

In his opening remarks, the president said he’s “confident that the cherished alliances between our two countries and others also will continue to flourish long and into the future.” He added, “The military cooperation between the United States and Japan is one of our closest security partnerships, and it’s one of the closest we have anywhere in the world.” 

Mr. Trump said the two leaders spoke “long and hard” about their economic and trade relationship and noted Japan’s outsized investments in the U.S. Mr. Trump said Japan will have some “competition,” because other countries are also eager to invest in the U.S.

Ishiba, through a translator, said their discussion was “frank” and “productive.” The two leaders said they would issue a joint Japan-U.S. statement, which would serve as a compass. “I look forward to working with President Trump, whom I respect immensely, to usher in a new golden age of Japan-U.S. relations,” the Japanese leader said. 

Trump and Japanese prime minister discuss U.S. Steel, tariffs, automotive issues, national security

Before the news conference, among the top issues to come up during Mr. Trump’s meeting with the Japanese prime minister was Nippon Steel’s deal to acquire U.S. Steel, despite former President Joe Biden’s rejection of the merger and Mr. Trump’s previous pledge to block the deal. 

Mr. Trump told reporters Friday he hasn’t changed his mind on U.S. Steel, but multiple sources said he is considering allowing Japan’s Nippon Steel to complete its $14.1 billion acquisition of U.S. Steel. Approval of the transaction isn’t definite, and Mr. Trump has not made a final decision, sources say. Mr. Trump told reporters Friday that he and the Japanese prime minister would be discussing the U.S. steel deal.

Mr. Trump met with the CEO of U.S. Steel, David Burritt, at the White House on Thursday. The Biden administration blocked the sale of U.S. Steel to Nippon Steel last month. U.S. Steel and Nippon Steel have filed lawsuits over the Biden administration’s decision to stop Nippon Steel from taking over its Pittsburgh-based rival company. 

“The United States is proud of our long and close alliance with Japan, and it’s time for a new age of U.S. Japan relations to bring peace and prosperity to the Indo-Pacific,” a senior administration official told reporters on a phone call. “Our two nations will continue to work together to ensure we deter threats in the region through our full range of military capabilities.”

Friday is Mr. Trump’s first in-person meeting with Ishiba. 

Mr. Trump’s appearance with the Japanese prime minister is his second meeting and joint press conference with a foreign leader this week. On Tuesday, Mr. Trump hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and said the U.S. wants to take control of and “own” the Gaza Strip. 

Ishiba will likely look to persuade Mr. Trump from placing any tariffs on Japanese goods, as Mr. Trump exercises his authority to slap tariffs on nations that he believes aren’t treating the U.S. fairly.

The U.S. and Japan have close financial ties, and Japan is the largest source of direct foreign investment into the U.S. 

A senior administration official said topics of their discussion will include training exercises and increasing cooperation on defense equipment and technology, foreign investment in the U.S., energy exports, and ways to increase cooperation in space ventures, among other things. 

Mr. Trump grew close to Japan’s former prime minister, Shinzo Abe, who was assassinated in 2022. Mr. Trump hosted Abe’s widow at his Mar-a-Lago estate in December. 

contributed to this report.