Trump on DOGE cuts: ‘I would have done it differently’

President Donald Trump on Tuesday suggested he might have taken a different approach to slashing government than his one-time adviser Elon Musk.

“We could have done it differently,” the president said during a Cabinet meeting. “I would have done it differently, a little bit, maybe.”

He did not provide details on where he would have diverged.

Trump praised the Department of Government Efficiency for many of its cuts to the federal workforce, specifically citing the exodus at the Environmental Protection Agency, where more than 1,300 employees have left through the Trump administration's deferred resignation program.

“You can always second guess,” Trump said. “I guess some of the people in this room maybe would have done it slightly differently. And some would have done it exactly the way it was done.”

The president was also asked whether had concerns over Musk’s move to establish a third party called the ‘America First’ party following a dramatic breakup between the former DOGE chief and the president over the passing of the Republican spending package. He poured cold water on the idea it will hurt Republicans — or at least himself.

“I think it’ll help us,” Trump said. “Third parties have always been good for me. I don’t know about Republicans, but for me.”