Elon Musk’s time in the Trump administration has come to an end with a news conference in the Oval Office in which he and the US president defended the work of Doge – and vowed it would continue, even without Musk.
According to President Trump, Musk is “not really leaving” and will continue to be “back and forth” to the White House.
“It’s his baby,” Trump said of Musk’s work with Doge, short for the cost-cutting Department of Government Efficiency.
Musk’s departure comes 130 days after Trump returned to office, the maximum allowable through his status as a “special government employee”.
Doge – which is an advisory body, rather than a formal government department – has the stated aim of slashing government spending, saving taxpayer money and reducing the US national debt, which stands at $36tn (£28.9tn).
Musk’s work with Doge, however, has come with considerable controversy, particularly after mass lay-offs across federal agencies and the elimination of most programmes run by USAID, the main US foreign aid organisation.
It also led to Musk’s companies coming under scrutiny, with global protests against Tesla and calls for boycotts. In turn, the company saw sales plummet to their lowest level in years.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump praised Musk, who he credited with “tirelessly helping lead the most sweeping and consequential government reform programme in generations”.
Trump added that the “mindsets” of federal officials have changed as a result of Doge’s work to detect fraud and “slash waste”.
According to Doge’s website, it had saved the US government a total of $175bn as of 29 May.
A BBC analysis conducted in late April, however, found that only $61.5bn of that amount was itemised, and evidence of how the savings were achieved was available about $32.5bn of the total.
“He’s not really leaving,” Trump said of Musk. “He’s going to be back and forth…I think he’s going to be doing a lot of things.”
Musk, for his part, insisted that Doge will continue to “relentlessly” seek $1 trillion in reductions.
The meeting between the two men comes just days after an interview with CBS – the BBC’s US partner – in which Musk said he was “disappointed” in what Trump has referred to as his “big, beautiful” bill, which includes multi-trillion dollar tax breaks and a pledge to increase defence spending.
While Musk had previously said he believes that the bill “undermines” the work of Doge, he did not comment on it during the Oval Office meeting. Trump, though, delivered a lengthy defence of the “unbelievable” legislation that “does amazing things”.
“But there are two things I’d like to see,” Trump said. “Maybe cut a little bit more. I’d like to see a bigger cut in taxes.”
The news conference also took several turns, including when Musk was asked about a New York Times report this week that suggested he was using drugs heavily during Trump’s 2024 campaign.
After cutting off the reporter before he could finish the question, Musk responded by citing a recent judge’s decision that Trump can proceed with a defamation case against the Washington Post and New York Times for their reporting on alleged connections between Trump’s 2016 campaign and Russia.
“That New York Times?” Musk asked. “Let’s move on.”
Additionally, Musk was asked why he appeared to have a bruised eye.
“I wasn’t anywhere near France,” Musk replied, a reference to a recent incident between French Prime Minister Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigette.
Musk explained his injury by saying he had told his five-year-old son, X Æ A-12 – known as X – to punch him in the face.
