Friday, May 31, 2025, marked the day that President Donald Trump formally said goodbye to Elon Musk in a friendly Oval Office farewell, bringing a close to the billionaire businessperson's contentious time in office.
Musk is resigning as the leader of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and will devote himself fully to his private endeavors, such as Tesla, SpaceX, and the social media site X.
President Trump credited Musk with initiating "a colossal shift in the old Washington ways of doing business" and praised his attempts at disrupting the federal bureaucracy. A few members of Musk's DOGE staff are likely to remain employed within the administration. Attired in an all-black ensemble and a T-shirt that read "The Dogefather," Musk sat quietly as Trump recited the several government contracts that had been canceled on his watch.
I believe that the DOGE team is doing an amazing work," Musk stated while receiving a symbolic key from the President. "They're going to keep doing what they are doing, an amazing work.
Musk's time in office had a lasting effect on federal functions. Thousands of government employees were dismissed or pushed out, and whole agencies, including the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), were deeply decimated. USAID, which was a primary donor of aid to needy people all over the world, was one of the hardest hit. Estimates by researchers at Boston University place the loss of services already having caused hundreds of thousands of deaths worldwide.
Despite these far-reaching changes, however, Musk failed to meet the sensational spending cuts he had previously vowed. After initially seeking to cut federal spending by up to $1–2 trillion, he ended up dialing back expectations to just $150 billion for this fiscal year.
Although the DOGE website makes the claim of $175 billion saved, doubts exist as to how accurate the numbers are, with frequent errors and hyperbole being put out in public reports.
However, Trump referred to Musk's government experience as "the most sweeping and consequential government reform effort in generations." He suggested that Musk may not be leaving for good, adding that he'd be "back and forth" to get briefed and stay on as an advisor.
A bruise under Musk's right eye was visible during the Oval Office visit, and this raised interest. Musk explained the bruise jokingly, stating that he was "horsing around" with his son. "I said, go ahead punch me in the face," he said. "And he did.
While Musk recently vowed to cut back on political contributions, he was the biggest donor to Trump in the previous presidential campaign. Trump seemed quick to spin Musk's departure as an exit rather than a leaving.
"This will be his last day, but not really, because he will, always, be with us, helping all the way," Trump tweeted Thursday evening. "Elon is terrific!"
Musk's position, as a special government employee, was temporary by design. But he earlier suggested that he could remain part-time, forever, if the administration wanted him to.
When questioned on the future of DOGE without him, Musk seemed unbothered and even optimistic, envisioning the agency flourishing without him. "DOGE is a way of life," he recently said. "Like Buddhism."
Read also| Watch| U.S. Visa Revocations Lead to MAGA Calls for Xi Jinping’s Daughter’s Deportation
Read also| Trump to Hold Farewell Press Conference with Elon Musk on Last Day in Office
