President Donald Trump held a farewell for Elon Musk in the Oval Office on Friday, marking a warm end to his tenure as the billionaire entrepreneur.
Mr Musk is stepping down as head of the Office of Government Effectiveness and will return to focusing on running his companies, including electric car maker Tesla, rocket company SpaceX and social media platform X.
President Trump credited Musk with making “massive changes to the outdated way of doing things in Washington” and added that some of his staff would remain in the administration.
Musk, dressed in black including a T-shirt emblazoned with the words “Dad of Great Danes,” nodded as the president mentioned contracts awarded under his watch.
“I'm confident the Doge team is doing an amazing job,” Mr. Musk said as he accepted the ceremonial key from the president.
“They will continue to do amazing things.”
It left a lasting mark on the federal bureaucracy, affecting thousands of employees who were laid off or relocated. Some government functions were significantly altered, such as the U.S. Agency for International Development, which had been a lifeline for poor people in various countries.
Boston University researchers estimate that hundreds of thousands of people have already died as a result of USAID cuts.
Despite all the changes, Mr. Musk also missed his targets. After promising to cut federal spending by $1 trillion or even $2 trillion, he lowered his expectations to just $150 billion in the current fiscal year.
It is unclear whether this goal has been achieved. Doge's website lists $175 billion in savings, but the information there contains many inaccuracies and exaggerations.
Mr Trump said Mr Musk had led “the most sweeping and comprehensive government reform in generations”.
He suggested that Mr Musk “isn't really leaving” and “will come back and go” to keep an eye on what's going on in the administration.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
