President Donald Trump took the stage at the Conservative Political Action Conference Saturday and listed “flagrant scams” uncovered by the Department of Government Efficiency, directed by Elon Musk. He also described his administration’s achievements during its first month back in office.
Addressing a crowd at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in Oxon Hill, Maryland, Trump said, “I signed an order creating the Department of Government Efficiency — you probably haven’t heard of it — which is now waging war on government waste, fraud and abuse.”
He added, “Here are some of the flagrant scams that, as an example, they’ve spent money on, and we’ve been able to recapture a large dose of it at least.”
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The President then cited $520 million for a consultant on environmental, social governance and investments in Africa, and other taxpayer-funded initiatives, including $25 million to promote biodiversity conservation and socially responsible behavior in Colombia and $10 million for Mozambique medical male circumcisions.
While DOGE has come under legal pressure from Democratic lawmakers and some federal employees with several lawsuits seeking to end its auditing and investigative efforts, Trump commended Musk’s work. “He’s doing a great job,” Trump said.
Trump vowed to remove “all of the unnecessary, incompetent and corrupt bureaucrats from the federal workforce.” He labeled the current climate as “very corrupt,” suggesting that investigators are revealing instances of fraud and waste across various agencies.
Earlier Saturday, Trump asked Musk to “get more aggressive,” in a post on Truth Social. “Will do, Mr. President!” Musk wrote.
At CPAC, Trump announced plans to visit the U.S. Bullion Depository at Fort Knox in Kentucky. He said he and Musk intend to inspect the vault’s reported “$425 billion in government gold.”
“Wouldn’t that be terrible if we opened it up and there was no gold there?” the President commented while describing the thick structure of the vault and the laborious effort required to open it.
Trump also spoke about his administration’s new policies, including steps taken against “critical race theory” and “transgender insanity.” He said measures to remove gender ideology from schools and the military were in place. “I made it the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders: male and female.”
He added, “Can you imagine making a speech like this 10 years ago? People would say what the hell is he talking about, right? This is a sickness that came with critical race theory and all of the other things we had to put up with.”
Trump also celebrated releasing 23 pro-life activists who had faced criminal charges for violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act. He called them “political prisoners.”
Other speakers at the conference praised the administration’s focus on school choice, immigration enforcement and economic initiatives.
CPAC organizers said the three-day gathering maintained its emphasis on the returning president’s political influence and policy agenda. A straw poll showed nearly unanimous approval for Trump, with 99% of participants endorsing him and many calling for constitutional changes to permit another run in 2028, according to Reuters.
At the close of his address, Trump hailed the pace of executive orders and other measures he took in the first weeks of his term. He attributed it to the urgency of “saving the country,” pointing to deportations and a “weaponization” rollback as other cornerstones of his revived administration.
“We’re liberating communities like Aurora, Colorado, and Springfield, Ohio,” he said, explaining that these measures restore jobs, wages and quality of life for many Americans who felt sidelined under the former administration.
