ELON MUSK vowed today that his Department of Government Efficiency will “delete entire [US government] agencies” as it seeks to make massive spending cuts and reshape the state.

The aggressive bid to shrink the state echoes that of Argentinian President Javier Milei, who has reduced the number of government ministries from 18 to nine, with major departments including health, education and labour abolished, their reduced responsibilities transferred to a Health & Human Capital Ministry as thousands of civil servants are laid off.

Mr Musk was addressing the World Governments Summit in Dubai by video link.

“I think we do need to delete entire agencies,” he said. “If we don’t remove the roots of the weed, then it’s easy for the weed to grow back.”

Agencies used to project US power and ideology abroad were among his targets, with USAid already frozen and the notorious National Endowment for Democracy, which funds opposition groups in territories like China’s Hong Kong and pro-US think tanks, mentioned as likely to be cut.

He claimed President Donald Trump is “less interested in interfering with the affairs of other countries” than his predecessors, though Mr Trump is demanding the forced relocation of two million Palestinians from their homes as part of his plan to reshape the Middle East.

In the US, Denver Public Schools became the first school district to sue the Trump administration over its policy of allowing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) agents into schools, saying it diverts educational resources and reduces attendance.

The Communist Party USA has announced a Rapid Response Project, which aims at mobilising street resistance and community opposition to Trump policies.