Elon Musk appeared alongside President Trump for a press conference in the Oval Office Friday, perhaps for the last time, with a noticeable black eye that he says he got from his young son.
”I said, ‘Go ahead, punch me in the face.’ And he did,” he said.
Musk is emerging from his five-month stint as head of DOGE, or Department of Government Efficiency, with more than just a shiner. His company, Tesla, is hemorrhaging market share in key countries around the globe and recorded its first year-over-year quarterly sales decrease in almost five years. His reputation has plummeted, with a majority of US residents saying they dislike him. And his claims to have saved the government a trillion dollars by slashing “waste, fraud and abuse” seem to have mostly been a failure. One researcher tied Musk’s elimination of humanitarian aid funding to 300,000 deaths overseas, mostly children.
Musk has been feeling the blows, too. Sources in the Trump administration told Reuters that the billionaire has been “exhausted and exasperated,” especially by the blowback against his companies. Tesla’s board reportedly initiated a search for a replacement CEO, a claim the directors have denied.
But in his Oval Office visit, Musk attempted to cast his Washington adventures as largely successful. He noted that as a special government employee, he was statutorily limited to 130 days in the position. But he vowed that even while he left his perch, DOGE will continue its work.
“This is not the end of DOGE, but really the beginning,” he said, wearing a t-shirt that said “The Dogefather”. “The DOGE team will only grow stronger over time. The DOGE influence will only grow stronger. I liken to a sort of Buddhism. It’s like a way of life.”
“This is not the end of DOGE, but really the beginning.”
Musk claimed that over time, the group would be able to achieve his stated goal of $1 trillion of funding cuts — even while falling far short of that. DOGE slashed $160 billion to date, Musk said, but experts believe the real number is significantly lower. And DOGE’s legacy of firings and rehirings, its use of paid administrative leave, and the associated loss of productivity may have actually cost the government upwards of $135 billion, according to the Partnership for Public Service.
After delivering a rambling introduction, Trump thanked Musk for his service and presented him with a golden key emblazoned with the White House insignia. He also cast doubt on those who are hoping that Musk would be riding off into the sunset for good.
“Elon gave an incredible service. Nobody like him,” Trump said. “And he had to go through the slings and the arrows, which is a shame because he’s an incredible patriot.”
