WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said that he likes the idea of giving some of the savings from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency back to U.S. citizens as a kind of dividend.

He said at an investment conference in Miami on Wednesday that the administration is considering a concept in which 20% of the savings produced by DOGE’s cost-cutting efforts goes to American citizens and another 20% goes to paying down the national debt.

Trump also said the potential for dividend payments would incentivize people to report wasteful spending.

“They’ll be reporting it themselves,” Trump said. “They participate in the process of saving us money.”

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Trump Expresses Enthusiasm for Musk’s Plan

Later, as he flew back to Washington aboard Air Force One, he was asked by a reporter about the plan floated by Musk.

“I love it,” the Republican president told reporters on the plane.

A day earlier, Musk wrote on his social media platform that he “will check with the President” in response to a suggestion that Trump and Musk should announce a “DOGE Dividend” that would send a refund to taxpayers from part of the savings created by DOGE. Its efforts have already led to thousands of federal government employees being fired or laid off.

The proposed plan could potentially reshape how government efficiency is approached, with citizens having a direct stake in identifying and reporting wasteful spending. This citizen-driven approach to cost-cutting aligns with Trump’s vision of a more streamlined government.

With 20% of the savings earmarked for paying down the national debt, this initiative could have significant long-term implications for the country’s fiscal health. However, the full impact of such a plan would depend on the scale of savings achieved and the consistency of its implementation.