Democrats loved idea of DOGE before Trump, White House quips

"Budget reform is not an option, it's a necessity," Obama says in the video. "We can't sustain a system that bleeds billions of taxpayer dollars on programs that have outlived their usefulness or exist solely because of the power of politicians, lobbyists or interest groups."

"The American people are entitled to transparency," Biden says in the video. "They're entitled to be able to figure out where their dollars are going, and they're entitled to accountability to make sure that we're using the dollars for what we said it was for."

"What should be easy is getting rid of the pointless waste and stupid spending that doesn't benefit anybody," Obama says during another point of the video from the Oval Office, where the then-president is seated next to a large stack of papers. "No amount of waste is acceptable, not when it's your money."

"We hope to be instilling an entire new culture, that not only our administration, but every succeeding administration will in fact pursue," Biden says at another point in the video.

Recent polling shows Americans may side with Trump and Musk on DOGE. In one poll conducted by the Trafalgar Group, 49% of respondents said they approve of DOGE's efforts compared to 44% who indicated they disapprove.

Similar numbers were seen in a recent Economist/YouGov poll, which shows 42% of respondents view DOGE favorably, while 38% indicated they had an unfavorable opinion of the department.