Trump to ABC Reporter on Musk Cuts: 'Who Do You Work For?' ... 'No Wonder' (February 21, 2025)

At the swearing-in of his commerce secretary, President Donald Trump was asked about voters angry at Elon Musk’s cuts, and he wanted to know where the reporter worked. “Who do you work for?” Trump asked in the Oval Office on Feb. 21, 2025, according to the transcript published by the American Presidency Project. “I work for ABC News, sir,” the reporter said. “No wonder,” Trump answered, as the room laughed [1].

“Let me just tell you—let me just tell you that I have today the highest poll numbers I’ve ever had. I have today the highest poll numbers of any Republican President ever,” Trump said [1].

The video above shows the Oval Office ceremony on Feb. 21, 2025. Quotes are from the American Presidency Project [1][2].

”They Like the Job That Elon Is Doing”

“And they like the job that we’re doing. They like the job that Elon is doing. He’s doing something that a lot of people wouldn’t have the courage to do,” Trump said [1].

“And we’re finding billions and billions of dollars of waste, fraud, and abuse—billions, and I mean numbers like you wouldn’t believe. And we haven’t even started yet,” he said [1].

“And it won’t affect many people. It’ll only affect the people that get caught stealing,” Trump said [1].

”You Saved Your Father’s Life”

Trump told the story of how Howard Lutnick survived Sept. 11. Lutnick’s firm, Cantor Fitzgerald, had its headquarters “on the 101st to the 105th floor” of the World Trade Center’s North Tower, Trump said, and Lutnick usually went in early [1].

“So he would have been there on almost any day other than what—this, because his wife was very angry at him,” Trump said, to laughter, “because he wouldn’t deliver his child to school.” Turning to Lutnick’s son, he said: “You saved your father’s life, huh?” [1]

“The Smartest, Most Thoughtful”

Lutnick praised his new boss. “The press has no idea who the gentleman to my left is. They portray him in all sorts of ways, but I know him as the smartest, most thoughtful, and most intuitive person I’ve ever met,” he said [1].

He praised Vice President JD Vance too. “And he gave me the greatest compliment. He called me a ‘good dude,’” Lutnick said, as the room laughed [1].

“And under the Trump administration, my goal—and I’m happy to wear it on my shoulders—is we are going to balance the budget of the United States of America, because Donald Trump understands global business,” Lutnick said. “It’s the first time you put in that chair the greatest businessman in the United States of America.” [1]

“It is such a great country that we can take care of our citizens and give them their Social Security. We can take care of everyone and give them their Medicaid. But we are going to get rid of so much waste, fraud, and abuse,” Lutnick said [1].

Vance gave the oath. “Put your hand on the Bible, raise your right hand, and repeat after me,” Vance told him [1].

”My Fourth Favorite Word”

Trump joked about tariffs. “But I did that once. I said—I put ‘tariff’ as my favorite word,” he said. “And so I made it now my fourth favorite word.” [1]

“We’ll soon impose reciprocal tariffs, because that means they charge us, we charge them. It’s very simple,” Trump said. “Howard is going to be in charge of it, and I think you’re going to see jobs and money flowing into the country like never has been seen before.” [1]

“Yesterday we had Tim Cook of Apple in, who’s going to invest hundreds of billions of dollars in the country because of what we’re doing,” he said [1].

”A Tremendous Loser”

Asked about merging the Postal Service into the Commerce Department, Trump said: “Well, we want to have a post office that works well and doesn’t lose massive amounts of money, and we’re thinking about doing that.” [1]

“It’s been a—just a tremendous loser for this country. Tremendous amounts of money are being lost,” he said [1].

”Thousands of Soldiers a Week”

Asked about Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russia’s Vladimir Putin, Trump said they “are going to have to get together, because—you know what?—we want to stop killing millions of people.” [1]

“That’s why I want to see a cease-fire, and I want to get the deal done. I think we have a chance to get the deal done,” he said [1].

“And we’ve put in three times more money. We’re in for $300 billion. They’re in for $100 billion,” Trump said of Europe [1].

By the Numbers

101st to 105th: the floors Cantor Fitzgerald occupied in the North Tower, per Trump [1].
$300 billion vs. $100 billion: U.S. and European aid to Ukraine, per Trump [1].
4th: where Trump now ranks “tariff” among his favorite words [1].

What Happened Next

Zelenskyy came to the Oval Office. A week later, on Feb. 28, 2025, Trump told Zelenskyy: “You’re not in a good position.” As Zelenskyy tried to answer, Trump went on: “You don’t have the cards right now. With us, you start having cards.” [2]

“You’re gambling with the lives of millions of people,” Trump said, and when Zelenskyy began to reply: “You’re gambling with World War III.” [2]

For Trump with Zelenskyy and Europe’s leaders that August, see HYGO News’ page on Aug. 18, 2025. For Trump’s first Cabinet meeting five days later, with Musk, see the page on Feb. 26, 2025.