President Donald Trump formally bid goodbye to Elon Musk at the White House on Friday, closing a controversial and impactful chapter for the billionaire entrepreneur, who is stepping down from his leadership role at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Musk, now returning full-time to helm his companies — including Tesla, SpaceX, and social media platform X — was praised by Trump for bringing “a colossal change” to government operations. Trump acknowledged that some of Musk’s team would remain in place, continuing the work they started.
Wearing black attire and a “The Dogefather” T-shirt, Musk nodded as Trump listed off federal contracts that had been eliminated under Musk’s oversight. Accepting a ceremonial key, Musk said, “I think the DOGE team is doing an incredible job... and they’re going to keep it up.”
Musk’s time at DOGE left a major imprint on the federal government, including the dismissal or forced resignation of thousands of employees. Agencies like USAID — which supports global humanitarian work — were gutted. Researchers at Boston University estimate that these budget cuts may have already led to hundreds of thousands of deaths.
The State Department responded by saying core health initiatives like PEPFAR (the U.S. HIV/AIDS program) remain active but didn’t address broader funding reductions. They urged other nations to increase their humanitarian efforts.
Musk, however, fell short of his ambitious fiscal promises. After vowing to slash $1–$2 trillion in federal spending, he later adjusted the goal to $150 billion for this fiscal year. DOGE claims $175 billion in savings, but the site’s accuracy has been questioned due to frequent errors and inflated figures.
During the Oval Office event, observers noticed a bruise near Musk’s eye. He explained it lightheartedly, saying his young son punched him during playful roughhousing. “I said, go ahead, punch me in the face — and he did,” Musk remarked.
Trump described Musk’s impact as “the most sweeping and consequential government reform in generations,” and hinted that Musk would remain informally involved: “He’s really not leaving… he’ll be around.”
Still, the spotlight on Musk appeared to be dimming. Once a constant presence beside Trump, he now stood by quietly as reporters asked the president about various unrelated issues — from France’s president to possible pardons. When Musk was asked about tariffs affecting Tesla, Trump answered for him.
Musk, the world’s richest person and a top donor to Trump’s last campaign, recently said he plans to scale back his political contributions.
Trump, eager to leave Musk’s exit on a positive note, posted on social media: “This will be his last day, but not really… Elon is terrific!”
Though his role at DOGE was always meant to be temporary, Musk had previously floated the idea of staying on part time. He’s been vague about the agency’s future without him but expressed optimism.
“DOGE is a way of life,” he recently told reporters. “Like Buddhism.”