Trump says he’ll appoint Musk to lead government efficiency commission if elected

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump says he will establish a government efficiency commission headed by billionaire supporter Elon Musk if he wins the Nov. 5 election, during a wide-ranging speech in which he laid out his economic vision for the country.

Speaking at the New York Economic Club, the former president also pledges to slash corporate tax rates for companies that manufacture domestically, establish “low-tax” zones on federal lands where construction companies would be encouraged to build new homes, and start a sovereign wealth fund.

Trump had been discussing the idea of an efficiency commission with aides for weeks, people with knowledge of those conversations have told Reuters. This speech, however, was the first time he publicly endorsed the idea.

It is also the first time Trump says Musk agreed to head the body. Trump does not detail how such a commission would operate, besides saying it would develop a plan to eliminate “fraud and improper payments” within six months of being formed.

Musk said on an Aug. 19 podcast that he had held conversations with the former president about the commission and that he would be interested in serving on it.