Stephen A. Smith Says Hold Off On Judging Musk’s Efforts, Urges Don’t Stand In His Way Of Exposing Hidden Agendas

ESPN’s veteran sports commentator Stephen A. Smith said Tuesday on NewsNation that people should hold off on judging Elon Musk’s efforts to make the federal government more efficient.

During an appearance on “Cuomo,” Smith said it’s too early to pass judgment on Musk. Smith asked people not to show blind acceptance but instead show patience. Smith said it’s important that Musk have a chance to prove his intentions and effectiveness.

“Now, does that mean Elon Musk is the answer to our prayers? Hell to the no, absolutely not. Nobody is saying that, but if he is going to rattle the cage to some degree, and you’re going to have elected officials and the spending habits of the federal government exposed to some degree, then that’s something that a lot of American citizens are going to welcome,” Smith said. “I certainly don’t like who I’m seeing it from. But in the same breath, it’s almost like you almost want to say to folks, relax, chill out, don’t stand in the way, let them do what they do. Because the higher somebody climbs up the tree, the more they expose their backsides.”

The essence of Musk’s initiative, Smith said, is about trimming the fat from the federal bureaucracy—and that includes slashing regulations and unnecessary spending.

“The specifics, obviously, the more you learn, the more you see, the more you see how they conduct themselves in regard to that. That may cause some alarm, but just on its face, cutting, spending, OK. Cutting regulations, all right. Doing those kind of things in terms of head counts within the federal government. What are we saying? That’s taxpayer money, and taxpayer money has just been thrown by the wayside,” Smith told host Chris Cuomo.

Smith said that Musk, though not an elected official nor confirmed through traditional channels such as the Senate or House of Representatives, has been appointed with a clear mandate from the Trump administration to uncover and address frivolous financial practices within the government. Smith said that by “shaking the trees” to see what falls out, the administration will reveal the “snakes.”

Smith also said there is a contrast between domestic challenges and international aid. He said the public is frustrated about large sums directed overseas. Smith asked why similar resources are not allocated to address pressing issues at home.

“When you tell us you’re spending millions of dollars on DEI in Serbia, for crying out loud, or you’re doing something else with our dollars that you have no business doing, what we’re going to look at is how many times you came to us to raise taxes, how many times you came to us to funnel our money to different places, how many times you told us you couldn’t take care of the homeless in this country,” Smith said.

Trump established the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) as an advisory body aimed at optimizing federal agencies under executive control. He appointed Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy as co-chairs of this initiative, however, Ramaswamy left the agency  in January.

Conservative policy analysts have expressed to the Daily Caller News Foundation their optimism that Musk’s DOGE will enhance federal data gathering methods and reduce unnecessary spending. Musk voiced on X his willingness to curtail federal investments in transgender studies and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.

DOGE has since dismantled the U.S. Agency for International Development’s operational framework. The Trump administration instructed the agency’s staff at the Ronald Reagan building to telecommute. He appointed Secretary of State Marco Rubio as acting director.

Treasury officials said on Tuesday that they have granted DOGE access to their data, but they also said that federal spending would proceed without interruption. Democrats and activists convened outside the Treasury Department, protesting Musk’s access to the agency’s data.

(Featured Image Media Credit: Screenshot/NewsNation)