T reasury Secretary Scott Bessent criticized Elon Musk 's new political party, saying the world's wealthiest man wasn't a popular part of the Trump administration. Asked about Musk's move, Bessent told CNN's Dana Bash that the ideas behind the administration's Department of Government Efficiency effort, also known as DOGE, were "very popular."

Driving the news: Bessent, with whom Musk once had a heated spat in the White House, said on CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday that "the principles of DOGE were very popular" — but Musk was not. Musk's massive slashes through the federal government left a bruise on his reputation and his company.

Building a new U.S. political party from scratch is a daunting task, even for the world's richest man. Musk described his new party on his platform X as tech-centric, budget-conscious, pro-energy and centrist,