Tesla CEO Elon Musk acknowledged that his target of cutting $2 trillion in government spending would likely be difficult to complete, with half that number looking like a more realistic option.

Elon Musk initially pledged to cut some $2 trillion from the federal budget, alongside his DOGE partner, politician Vivek Ramaswamy.

I think if we try for $2 trillion, we’ve got a good shot at getting one,” Musk said, during a recent live streamed conversation on his platform, X. He added that eliminating $2 trillion was “like, the best-case outcome.

Billionaire Elon Musk expressed doubt that his government efficiency panel in President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming administration will actually be able to achieve $2 trillion in cuts to the US federal budget,

Elon Musk walked back his previous claim that he could cut at least $2 trillion from the federal budget, saying Wednesday that half that amount would be “an epic outcome.”

While campaigning for Donald Trump in October, Elon Musk claimed he could slash “at least $2 trillion” in government spending. Now that Musk has started laying the groundwork for his so-called “Department of Government Efficiency,

Elon Musk on Wednesday backtracked on his goal to cut $2 trillion from the U.S. budget in his role as the co-head of DOGE, Donald Trump’s proposed new advisory body which aims to slash waste and regulations to lower taxes.

Tesla was close to bankruptcy, leading Elon Musk to consider selling the company to Google for $6 billion. The deal was nearly finalized with Musk set to remain at Tesla for eight years. However, a surge in Model S sales and subsequent profits allowed Tesla to recover,

Elon Musk, the tech billionaire tapped for a government efficiency panel by President-elect Donald Trump, has expressed skepticism about the feasibility of cutting $2T from the U.S. federal budget, backtracking on his own previously ambitious claims.

Musk's Tesla stake rose by $111 billion — 65% — last year. All but $2 billion of Musk’s Tesla gain and about 98% of what other Tesla shareholders gained came after Election Day, when Musk began hanging out extensively with Donald Trump and started calling himself Trump’s “first buddy.