President Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk appeared together at an event in the Oval Office, marking Musk’s last day in an official role within the Trump administration.
President Trump announced the day before on the Truth Social platform that today was Musk’s “last day” in the administration. Meanwhile, the tech billionaire had announced on Wednesday the conclusion of his engagement in the Trump administration. Musk oversaw the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which carried out significant cuts to the number of federal employees as part of efforts to substantially reduce federal spending.
In an interview scheduled to air on Sunday on “CBS Sunday Morning,” Musk stated that he has “differences of opinion” with the Trump administration and does not “entirely agree” with some of its actions. He also criticized the Republican Party’s bill to advance Trump’s domestic policy agenda, arguing that it would increase the deficit.
During his remarks in the Oval Office, Elon Musk emphasized that he remains convinced he will achieve his promise to save $1 trillion through the Department of Government Efficiency “over time.” During his time as a “special government employee,” Musk oversaw sweeping cuts to the number of federal employees, in an effort to significantly reduce federal spending. Initially, he boasted that he could cut $2 trillion from the federal budget of around $6.8 trillion, but later lowered this figure to $1 trillion. Recent reports suggested that in a cabinet meeting last month, he had lowered the total to $150 billion for the upcoming fiscal year.
Reflecting on his time at the head of DOGE, the billionaire said that identifying cuts requires “a lot of hard work.” “It’s just a lot of work going through the vast expenses of the federal government and asking questions,” he said.
During his appearance alongside President Trump, Musk said he still intends to give advice to the president even after the end of his official role. “I expect to continue to offer advice, whenever the president would like advice,” Musk said in response to a question from a reporter. “I hope so,” Trump added. “I expect to remain a friend and an advisor and certainly, if there is anything the president wants me to do, I am at the president’s service,” Musk added.
President Trump, for his part, said that Elon Musk “is not really leaving” and that he believes the tech billionaire will still be “constantly present” even though his official role as a special government employee is ending. “Elon is not really leaving. He will be constantly present. I think, I have a feeling – it’s his creation and I think he will do many things,” Trump said, praising the work of the Tesla CEO in the Department of Government Efficiency.
The President emphasized that the department’s work will continue and praised Musk for achieving what he called a “colossal change in the old ways of doing business in Washington.” “But Elon’s service to America has been unparalleled in modern history. He is already running one of the most innovative car companies in the world,” the president added. “Most of the DOGE people, Elon, are staying too, so they are not leaving,” Trump continued.
During their joint appearance in the Oval Office, Trump presented Musk with a gift as part of the official farewell from federal service. “As a presentation from our country. Thank you, Elon. Take care of yourself,” Trump said as he handed Musk a ceremonial key.
This praise from Trump for Musk comes after recent tension following an interview in which the tech billionaire said he has some “differences of opinion” with the Trump administration, but feels “a bit stuck in a difficult situation” when disagreements arise, not wanting to speak out publicly against them.
Musk has overseen a massive transformation in the size and scope of the federal government through DOGE, with at least 121,000 federal employees laid off or targeted for layoff during Trump’s first 100 days in office, and thousands more accepting voluntary separation offers. However, the efforts did not reach his stated goal of saving $1 trillion in government spending.
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