Elon Musk says entitlements with annual budgets of hundreds of billions of dollars were ripe for steep reductions. He made unproven claims about benefits, including that Democrats use them to “attract and retain illegal immigrants by essentially paying them to come here and then turning them into voters” He also said there are widespread payments to dead people. Musk’s remarks about popular safety net programs could run into opposition on Capitol Hill from lawmakers who have already faced backlash about his rapid approach to slashing agencies. Musk personal fortune is down $148 billion since the last trading day before the inauguration, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Musk told Kudlow that he has been running his six businesses with “great difficulty,” but said he would remain in his role for the foreseeable future. He said the $2 trillion deficit was “the real wake up call for me” Shares in Tesla took their biggest hit since 2020 on Monday, as analysts cut their projections for vehicle deliveries for the year. The electric vehicle brand is facing blowback from its base of climate-conscious consumers who associate it with Musk’s more conservative politics.