President Donald Trump bid farewell to Elon Musk in the Oval Office on Friday, providing a cordial conclusion to a tumultuous tenure for the billionaire entrepreneur.
Musk is leaving his position spearheading the Department of Government Efficiency, and he'll be rededicating himself to running his businesses, including electric automaker Tesla, rocket company SpaceX and social media platform X.
Trump credited Musk with “a colossal change in the old ways of doing business in Washington" and said some of his staff would remain in the administration.
"Elon has worked tirelessly helping lead the most sweeping and consequential government reform programme in generations," Trump said from behind the Resolute Desk, as Musk stood to his right, wearing a black DOGE hat and a T-shirt that read "The Dogefather" in the style of the movie "The Godfather".
In recent days, Musk had prompted some frustration among White House officials by criticising Trump's sweeping tax and spending bill as too expensive. Some senior aides, including Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller and Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, saw Musk's remarks on the tax bill as an open break from the administration, with Miller particularly irked by the comments.
'Elon is really not leaving'
There was no evidence of tension during the joint appearance on Friday, where Trump said Musk would continue to play a role in his administration.
"Elon is really not leaving," Trump said. "He's going to be back and forth."
“I think the DOGE team is doing an incredible job," Musk said after accepting a ceremonial key from the president. "They're going to continue to be doing an incredible job.”
He left a searing mark on the federal bureaucracy, including thousands of employees who were fired or pushed out. Some government functions were eviscerated, such as the US Agency for International Development (USAID), which had provided a lifeline for impoverished people around the world. Boston University researchers estimate that hundreds of thousands of people have already died as a result of the USAID cuts.
Despite the upheaval, Musk also fell far short of his goals. After promising to cut $1 trillion or even $2 trillion in federal spending, he lowered expectations to only $150 billion in the current fiscal year.
It's unclear whether that target has been hit. The DOGE website tallies $175 billion in savings, but its information has been riddled with errors and embellishments.
Trump said Musk had led the “most sweeping and consequential government reform effort in generations". He suggested that Musk is “really not leaving” and “he's going to be back and forth” to keep tabs on what's happening in the administration.
Bruise from 'horsing around' with son
Musk's formal exit comes after a bombshell report in The New York Times on his alleged drug use.
The newspaper said that Musk used so much ketamine during the 2024 campaign that he developed bladder problems and that he was also taking ecstasy and psychoactive mushrooms, and traveled with a pill box last year.
Read moreDrug overuse claim overshadow Musk's Oval Office farewell
Musk was immediately asked about the report. He did not reply directly and instead denounced The New York Times over its previous coverage of Russian interference in the 2016 election before moving to the next question.
The billionaire businessman had a bruise next to his right eye in the Oval Office, which he explained by saying he had been "horsing around" with his young son.
“I said, go ahead punch me in the face," he said. "And he did.”
Musk, the world's richest person, recently said he would reduce his political donations. He was Trump's top donour in last year's presidential campaign.
Trump appeared eager to end Musk's service on a high note.
“This will be his last day, but not really, because he will, always, be with us, helping all the way," Trump wrote on social media on Thursday evening. "Elon is terrific!"
As a special government employee, Musk's position was designed to be temporary. However, he had speculated about staying “indefinitely,” working part time for the administration, if Trump still wanted his help.
Musk has brushed off questions about how DOGE would continue without him, even suggesting it could “gain momentum” in the future.
“DOGE is a way of life,” he told reporters. “Like Buddhism.”
(FRANCE 24 with AP, AFP and Reuters)
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