On Friday, former President Donald Trump formally said goodbye to Elon Musk in the Oval Office, marking the end of Musk’s stint leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Musk is stepping away from his government role to focus once again on his companies: Tesla, SpaceX, and the social media platform X.
Trump praised Musk for shaking up long-standing government practices, calling his efforts a “colossal change in the old ways of doing business in Washington.” Though Musk is leaving, some members of his team will remain in their roles. Dressed entirely in black and wearing a T-shirt that read “The Dogefather,” Musk listened as Trump listed the government contracts and programs that had been downsized or eliminated under his leadership.
“I think the DOGE team is doing an incredible job,” Musk said after receiving a ceremonial key from the president. “They’re going to continue to be doing an incredible job.”
Musk’s time in Washington left a significant impact. Thousands of federal workers were either laid off or resigned, and entire agencies were gutted. Among the most affected was the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), which had been vital in providing assistance to struggling communities around the world. Research from Boston University suggests the dismantling of USAID may have led to hundreds of thousands of deaths globally.
Despite his ambitious promises to cut $1 trillion to $2 trillion in federal spending, Musk ultimately reduced the goal to $150 billion for the current fiscal year. It’s still unclear whether that target has been met. The DOGE website claims $175 billion in savings, though its data has often been questioned due to inaccuracies and exaggerated figures.
Trump hailed Musk’s efforts as the “most sweeping and consequential government reform in generations” and hinted that Musk might still be involved behind the scenes. “He’s going to be back and forth,” Trump said, suggesting Musk would continue advising unofficially.
A noticeable bruise near Musk’s right eye prompted questions, to which he responded, “I said, go ahead punch me in the face,” referring to his young son. “And he did.”
Musk, currently the wealthiest person in the world, recently announced he would scale back on political donations. He had been Trump’s largest donor during the previous election cycle.
In a social media post the night before the farewell, Trump seemed intent on ending Musk’s term positively. “This will be his last day, but not really, because he will, always, be with us, helping all the way,” Trump wrote. “Elon is terrific!”
Musk held a temporary role as a special government employee, though he had previously mused about staying on indefinitely in a part-time capacity. When asked how DOGE would function without him, Musk brushed off concerns and even suggested the initiative might thrive on its own.
“DOGE is a way of life,” he said. “Like Buddhism.”
