Will Elon Musk appear on Jon Stewart's The Daily Show? Here's what the host had to say

Speculations are rife among fans of The Daily Show, Jon Stewart, and Elon Musk, about whether or not Elon Musk will appear on The Daily Show to converse with host Jon Stewart. Among those anxious to know if Musk will appear on the show are both supporters and detractors of the DOGE agenda of President Donald Trump’s administration. The agenda has been one of the most talked about issues ever since Trump became the 47th president of the U.S.

Excitement around Elon Musk’s possible appearance on The Daily Show started when Musk responded to a fan on X. The fan had suggested that Musk should appear on The Daily Show. Musk replied that he would appear on the show if it will not be edited. Musk said,

“I will do it if the show airs unedited”

The fan’s post was in response to Jon Stewart’s criticism of the activities of the DOGE team. According to Stewart, DOGE is looking at the wrong places to save taxpayers’ money. On an episode of The Daily Show aired on February 25, Stewart said,

“How about we just close down the carried interest loophole on hedge funds? That’s $1.3 billion a year. Or how about we stop the $2 trillion dollars we’ve given to defense contractors to build a fighter jet that blows, when everyone knows the next war is going to be fought with drones and blockchains, whatever that is! Holy sh*t! I can’t believe it! I just saved us billions of dollars in 11 seconds!”

It was in response to Stewart’s criticism of DOGE that the fan suggested Elon Musk should go on the show.

Elon Musk Versus Jon Stewart: The war of words

However, in follow-up posts, Elon Musk criticized Jon Stewart’s opinions and expressed strong disagreements with his show. Musk wrote on X,

“Jon Stewart is much more a propagandist that it would seem.”

In another post, Musk criticized Stewart’s political positioning, writing,

“Jon is too set in his ways. He used to be more bipartisan.”

Responding to Musk’s criticism, Jon Stewart also weighed in. He addressed Musk on the subsequent episode of The Daily Show, saying,

“But can we just drop the pretense that you won't do it because I don't measure up to the standards of neutral discourse that you demand and display at all times? Because, quite frankly, that's bulls---. You know it, I know it. It's bulls—.”

Stewart went on to take a jibe at Musk and questioned his “neutrality” in terms of Musk’s engagements at the Oval Office and his involvement in the presidential campaign.

What is DOGE and what is its relationship to Elon Musk?

As per a statement released by the then President-elect Donald Trump, he announced that Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy will lead the Department of Government Efficiency (“DOGE”). President Trump said,

“these two wonderful Americans will pave the way for my Administration to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies”

After his inauguration as the 47th President of the United States of America, President Trump established through a presidential order, the Department of Government Efficiency(DOGE).

Initially, Tesla's Elon Musk suggested that he would be working as an outside volunteer. However, later BBC reports suggested that he had been appointed as a special government employee. The U.S. Department of the Interior website says,

“A ‘special Government employee’ (or "SGE") is an officer or employee in the Executive Branch of the Federal Government who is appointed to perform important, but limited, services to the Government, with or without compensation, for a period not to exceed 130 days during any period of 365 consecutive days”

Musk’s role in DOGE has come under criticism, according to BBC. The criticism is related to a conflict of interest given that many business interests Musk is associated with are in a contractual relationship with the government. Reports suggest that Musk’s active role in the government might lead to a conflict of interests.

It remains to be seen whether the viewers will get a chance to find answers on The Daily Show, and if Jon Stewart and Elon Musk agree to engage in conversation.