Trump confident in putting Musk before the press: 'He's not shy'

President Donald Trump is not backing down on Elon Musk. In fact, he appears eager to showcase the tech billionaire.

On Friday, during a bilateral meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, Trump was asked by a reporter if the media would have an opportunity to question Musk.

"Oh, sure. He’ll be— He’s not shy. Elon’s not shy," Trump answered.

Trump was also questioned about a recent Time magazine cover showing Musk seated behind the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office. In reply, Trump, who was named Time's 2024 Person of the Year, joked that he didn't even know the magazine was still in publication.

"Is Time magazine still in business? I didn’t even know that," Trump joked. However, he went on to give the tech billionaire some serious praise. "Elon is doing a great job. He’s finding tremendous fraud, and corruption, and waste."

The president specifically commended Musk for examining U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) spending, calling the entire process "a fraud."

"Every single line that I look at as far as events and transactions is either corrupt or ridiculous," Trump told reporters before adding, "He’s doing a very good job. I’m very happy with him."

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Just over two weeks into Trump’s second term, the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) became the focus of Democratic criticism, with many voicing their protests against him.

On Saturday, Musk alleged that DOGE had discovered the Treasury Department had directed staff to approve payments to "known fraudulent or terrorist groups."

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Democrats expressed outrage that Musk, as a private citizen, was granted access to sensitive Treasury Department payment systems.

"Anytime a person can pay $250 million into a campaign, and they be given full access to the Department of the Treasury of the United States of America, we are at war," Rep. LaMonica McIver, D-N.J., said during a rally hosted by MoveOn Civic Action, Indivisible and the Working Families Party on Tuesday.

In a letter to federal lawmakers on Tuesday, a Treasury Department official stated that a tech executive collaborating with DOGE will be granted "read-only access" to the government's payment system.

Despite the backlash from Democrats, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent defended Musk during an appearance on FOX Business' Kudlow.

"Elon Musk is the greatest entrepreneur of this generation," Bessent said. "DOGE is not going to fail. They are moving a lot of people's cheese here in the capital, and when you hear this squawking, then some status quo interest is not happy."