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DOGE, National Gallery of Art Representatives Meet to Discuss Museum’s Legal Status · Elon Musk Podcast

• 0:00
  Welcome back to the Elon Musk Podcast.
• 0:02
  I'm thrilled to share some exciting news with you over the
• 0:05
  next two weeks. We're evolving.
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  shaping our world. And with that, our show will
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  become Stage 0. You'll still get the latest
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  insights on Elon Musk, plus so much more, so stay tuned for our
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  official relaunch at Stage 0, coming soon.
• 0:26
  So why did an unofficial group tied to Elon Musk show up at the
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  National Gallery of Art to question its legal status?
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  So that's a surprise that rippled through the museum last
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  week after leadership met behind closed doors with
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  representatives from DOGE. Now, DOGE isn't a formal federal
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  agency. It's a Trump aligned must
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  connected group acting as an unofficial enforcement arm aimed
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  at cutting government spending and reshaping federal influence.
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  Now it's knocking on the doors of institutions that until
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  recently were considered politically untouchable.
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  The National Gallery isn't a government agency.
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  It's not part of the Smithsonian either.
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  It's common under misunderstanding.
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  It runs as a public private partnership.
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  Congress pays for basic operations, but acquisitions and
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  growth rely on a private trust created in 1936 by steel tycoon
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  Andrew Mellon. Knowing the exchange for his
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  donation of priceless artworks and funding for a museum
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  building, Mellon secured long term autonomy for the gallery,
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  protected by a trustee board that now includes billionaires
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  CE OS and even Chief Justice John Roberts.
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  Now, Doge's meeting with director Cayman Feldman and
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  legal counsel Luis Boquadano was described as a review of the
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  museum's legal standing. Feldman later told staff the
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  gallery has always worked with all administrations and intends
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  to continue doing so. But this isn't a routine check
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  in. It's part of a growing pattern.
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  In March, Doge was accused of forcing its way into the offices
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  of the US Institute of Peace. And a week ago, the Vera
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  Institute of Justice warned that DOGE intended to place its
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  people inside their organization.
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  Now the national galleries case is especially sensitive because
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  it holds both federal funding and cultural prestige.
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  It's unique hybrid structure gives it independence, something
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  Doge appears interested in redefining.
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  And Trump's administration has already taken steps to gain more
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  control over nonprofit entities that receive government support.
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  He appointed himself chair of the Kennedy Center and issued an
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  order to increase oversight of the Smithsonian.
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  Now the National Endowment for the Humanities sought its staff
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  and its budget cut, with funds redirected to build Trump's
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  proposed National Garden of American Heroes.
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  Now, DOGE has no official legal authority, but its influence is
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  expanding. It targets institutions that
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  rely on federal dollars while claiming autonomy.
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  These visits, though technically informal, often lead to changes.
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  And for the gallery, the question is whether this
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  pressure will remain symbolic or become something that or become
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  something that forces structural change.
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  Now, the meeting may have been brief, Its impact won't be.
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