President Trump said Elon Musk is doing a “great job” in his role of stopping wasteful government spending.

During a White House meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, Mr. Trump was asked if he was bothered by the new Time magazine cover that has Mr. Musk seated at the president’s resolute desk.

“No,” Mr. Trump said, before cheekily asking if Time was still in business.

“Elon is doing a great job,” Mr. Trump said. “He’s finding tremendous fraud and corruption and waste. You see it with the USAID, but you’re going to see it even more so with other agencies and other parts of government.”

Mr. Trump said Mr. Musk’s staff at the Department of Government Efficiency is “fantastic.”

“He’s wanted to be able to do this for a long time,” the president said of Mr. Musk. “Everybody else knew [waste and fraud existed], but I think never so much. When you look at USAID — the whole thing is a fraud.”

He said “very little” of the organization’s funds were “put to good use,” calling the money spent “corrupt [and] ridiculous.”

“I think we’re going to be very close to balancing budgets for the first time in many years. I think we’re going to be very close in addition to money coming in from tariffs, et cetera, et cetera, but no, he’s doing a very good job. I’m very happy with him.”

Democrats and other critics of Mr. Musk’s role in the government have said they didn’t vote for him and question why he’s been able to overhaul so many agencies and jobs.

His advice to the president has helped leave USAID with fewer than 300 employees.

• Mallory Wilson can be reached at mwilson@washingtontimes.com.