On Wednesday, Vice President J.D. Vance refuted claims suggesting that President Donald Trump was dissatisfied with billionaire Elon Musk’s involvement with DOGE and that Musk intended to exit the administration.
Initially, Vance dismissed the report he encountered as entirely false, during an interview with Fox News, in reference to a Politico article that alleged Trump had privately informed cabinet members that Musk would soon be ‘stepping back.’
Vance elaborated that Musk was appointed as a special advisor for a six-month project focused on enhancing government efficiency and minimizing bureaucracy. The role of a White House special advisor is limited to 130 days, which is expected to conclude in late May or early June.
Nevertheless, Vice President Vance indicated that Elon Musk would persist in his advisory capacity beyond that timeframe. ‘We indicated that this would require approximately six months, which is what Elon agreed to, but naturally, he will continue to serve as an advisor,’ the vice president stated to the outlet, further noting that the DOGE initiative would proceed even after Musk’s exit.
Vance confirmed to the outlet that the efforts surrounding DOGE and Elon Musk are far from complete. He commended Musk for his role in eradicating fraudulent grants within the federal government and for tackling issues related to the Social Security system.
Vance stated, ‘There is still significant work ahead for DOGE, which will persist even after Elon departs.
However, Elon will continue to be a valued friend and advisor to both myself and the president, having accomplished many positive initiatives.’
Since Musk initiated significant reductions in federal programs and eliminated grants that were popular among Democrats, he has attracted considerable criticism from the left.
Demonstrators have focused their protests on his Tesla company, with instances of vandalism reported against the vehicles in public spaces.
This surge of backlash has caused discomfort among some Republicans, leading a few to recommend that President Trump distance himself from Musk. Nevertheless, sources acquainted with the matter informed DailyMail.com that any speculation regarding a rift between Musk and the president is unfounded and constitutes ‘fake news.’
Vance also addressed the misleading video on X, stating, “This is a fabricated AI-generated clip. I am not astonished that this individual lacks the discernment to identify this reality, but I question whether he possesses the integrity to remove it now that he is aware of its falsity. If he fails to do so, it may constitute defamation.
We shall see what transpires!” As AI technologies advance and gain popularity, the prevalence of deceptive video and audio content produced by AI is rapidly increasing.
The audio quality is poor and distorted, leaving it unclear where the recording originated or the rationale behind a private recording of the vice president being held by an obscure social media account, which is an improbable situation.
The video appears to have originated from the TikTok account Joseiitalia, where it has garnered 1.5 million views. It was subsequently shared on X, accumulating over 500,000 views, and has been featured in multiple Reddit discussions.
In the recording, an individual impersonating Vance expresses criticism towards Musk, stating: ‘Everything he is doing is facing media backlash, and he claims to be assisting, yet he is not; he is tarnishing our image.’
The voice further asserts, ‘he is making me look bad,’ and ‘he has the audacity to behave as if he is an elected official. I am the elected official; I am the significant figure in this context.’
