In a Tuesday evening broadcast, Elon Musk defended his work to gut whole agencies across the federal government. He was speaking in a joint interview with President Trump, hosted by Fox News far-right pundit Sean Hannity.

Elon Musk: “I think what we’re seeing here is the sort of — the thrashing of the bureaucracy as we try to restore democracy and the will of the people.”

A court filing from the White House Office of Administration lists Elon Musk as a senior adviser to the president who’s serving as an employee of the “White House Office” — and not the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency, which the White House previously said he was leading. On Tuesday, Trump dismissed reporters’ questions over Musk’s role, saying he’s “a patriot.”