U.S. President Donald Trump gave Elon Musk a glowing farewell at the White House on Friday, marking the end of the billionaire’s short but impactful stint as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Musk, who had been granted special government employee status, led an aggressive campaign to reduce federal spending and streamline the public workforce. Though he initially set a goal of cutting $2 trillion, the figure was later revised to $150 billion. The DOGE website claims $175 billion in savings, though independent audits have questioned the accuracy of that number.
Speaking in the Oval Office, Trump thanked Musk for his “colossal change in the old way of doing business” in Washington. He gifted Musk a gold-coloured ceremonial key in recognition of his work — an item Trump described as a presentation for “very special people.”
“Elon is terrific,” Trump said. “He’s changed the tone, the pace, and the expectations in Washington.”
Musk, wearing a black T-shirt that read The Dogefather, praised the DOGE team for their “total commitment” to making the agency’s cuts permanent. “They’re doing an incredible job,” he said.
The send-off was not without controversy. Musk appeared to have a visible black eye, which he dismissed as the result of “horsing around” with his five-year-old son, X. “I said, go ahead, punch me in the face — and he did,” Musk joked.
The event also came amid fresh allegations reported by The New York Times, claiming Musk had engaged in “intense” drug use during Trump’s campaign. When asked about the story, Musk interrupted the reporter and questioned the paper’s credibility, saying, “Let’s move on.”
Musk had already begun distancing himself from full-time government work to refocus on his companies, including SpaceX and Tesla. Both firms have struggled in recent months, with Tesla posting a 71% drop in profits in Q1. Meanwhile, Musk’s social media platform X continues to rebuild its advertising base following the mass exit of advertisers after his acquisition in 2022.
Since joining the Trump administration, Musk’s DOGE led to sweeping changes across the federal government. Over 121,000 public workers were laid off or identified for dismissal within the first 100 days of Trump’s term. Several federal programs were slashed — and in some cases temporarily reinstated due to legal challenges.
In a post on X confirming his departure Thursday, Musk said he would remain in an advisory role and pledged to continue supporting DOGE’s goals from the outside.
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