PRESIDENT Donald Trump has tonight planned a special press conference to bid farewell to pal Elon Musk after he announced his departure from the White House.
The Tesla boss said yesterday he is exiting his role as Trump’s “secretary of cost-cutting” after criticising a bill announced by the Republican administration.
APElon Musk shakes hands with President Donald Trump at the finals for the NCAA wrestling championship[/caption]
APTrump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk speak to reporters as they sit in a red Model S Tesla vehicle on the South Lawn of the White House[/caption]
AFPPresident Donald Trump listens as Elon Musk, joined by his son X Æ A-Xii, speaks in the Oval Office[/caption]
ReutersMusk’s 130 days at the White House were nothing short of dramatic; Musk displays a chainsaw during the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC)[/caption]
Trump was all praise for Musk and dubbed the billionaire “terrific” – his first official response on Musk’s departure.
The MAGA president said he would hold a special briefing with Musk at the White House to mark his final day in office.
Trump wrote on Truth Social: “Elon is terrific! I am having a Press Conference tomorrow at 1:30 P.M. EST, with Elon Musk, at the Oval Office.
“This will be his last day, but not really, because he will, always, be with us, helping all the way.”
Musk showed unwavering support for the Republican MAGA campaign, which earned him a role in Trump’s top team.
He thanked Trump after exiting and wrote: “As my scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end, I would like to thank [President Trump] for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending.”
The billionaire spent most of Trump’s first 100 days leading the newly forged Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) – slashing government spending and giving the president crucial pieces of advice.
And his time in the office – during which he upended several federal agencies and slashed billions of government bills – has been marked by a slew of dramatic moments.
This includes the billionaire tech mogul brandishing a chainsaw on stage and even putting up a Tesla sales pitch outside the White House.
Musk became a near-constant presence in the White House.
Dressed down in MAGA hats and t-shirts, he would always be seen flanking Trump in and out of the White House.
And so did his four-year-old son named X Æ A-Xii for some time.
At Trump’s first cabinet meeting in February, Musk had a rather starring role, even though he is not part of the cabinet.
He stood looming near a doorway, wearing a t-shirt with the words “Tech Support” across the chest as the cabinet met.
He was named a “special government employee” in January, a designation given to people with specialised expertise who join the government for a short time.
The billionaire tech mogul was granted a 130-day employment period ending on May 30.
In April, Musk revealed he would leave the Trump administration when his work is expected to be finished, despite the president saying he wants to keep him as long as possible.
Musk did not have a formal conversation with Trump before announcing his exit, according to an official source.
His exit came a day after criticising Trump’s marquee tax bill.
He called the bill too expensive and said that it would undermine his work with the US DOGE, which he said was becoming the “whipping boy for everything”.
CBS Sunday MorningThe Tesla boss’ exit came a day after he criticised Trump’s marquee tax bill[/caption]
AFPMusk gestures as he speaks during the inaugural parade inside Capitol One Arena on January 20[/caption]
AFPPresident Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk speak to the press as they stand next to a Tesla Cybertruck on the South Portico of the White House[/caption]
AFPElon Musk jumps on stage as he joins Donald Trump during a campaign rally at Butler, Pennsylvania[/caption]
Musk told CBS News: “I was disappointed to see the massive spending bill, frankly, which increases the budget deficit, not just decreases it, and undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing.”
Speaking to the Washington Post, the billionaire said: “DOGE is just becoming the whipping boy for everything.
“Something bad would happen anywhere, and we would get blamed for it even if we had nothing to do with it.”
One source said the billionaire’s decision to trash Trump’s bill on television deeply upset senior White House aides.
The legislation includes a mix of tax cuts and enhanced immigration enforcement.
Musk, at times, tended to be effusive in his praise of Trump.
“The more I’ve gotten to know President Trump, the more I like the guy,” he said in February.
“Frankly, I love him.”
The MAGA president repaid the favour, describing Musk as a truly great American.
And when Musk’s Tesla sales were tanking – with vandals targeting his brand – he even hosted a highly publicised test drive to boost the brand’s reputation at the White House.
With a Tesla Cybertruck and a Model S parked on the South Portico, Trump and Musk mounted a sales pitch.
Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s complicated relationship
PRESIDENT Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s relationship started rocky, but the pair have since reconciled, with Musk fully endorsing Trump during the election campaign.
In 2022, Elon Musk and Donald Trump publicly feuded on X, then still known as Twitter.
Trump called Musk a liar and “bulls**t artist” during a rally in Alaska.
“Elon is not going to buy Twitter,” Trump said at the time.
“You know, he said the other day, ‘I’ve never voted for a Republican.’ I said, ‘I didn’t know that – you told me you voted for me. So he’s another bulls**t artist, but he’s not going to be buying it.”
In response to Trump’s critiques, the SpaceX founder clapped back.
“I don’t hate the man, but it’s time for Trump to hang up his hat & sail into the sunset,” Musk posted.
Musk also went on to buy X months later.
The X owner said he had previously voted mostly for Democrats since becoming a United States citizen in 2002.
Musk initially backed Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to be the Republican Party’s presidential nominee.
“My preference for the 2024 presidency is someone sensible and centrist,” Musk wrote on X in 2022.
“I had hoped that would [be] the case for the Biden administration, but have been disappointed so far.”
His shift in political parties might be attributed to his plummeting relationship with President Joe Biden who didn’t invite Musk to the 2021 White House electric vehicle summit.
Despite their past issues, Trump and Musk’s relationship took a turn in March after they met at Mar-a-Lago.
Trump was also previously against electric vehicles but has since changed his stance.
“I’m for electric cars,” he said at a rally earlier this month.
“I have to be, because Elon endorsed me very strongly. So I have no choice.”
Following the assassination attempt at Trump’s rally in July, Musk announced his support for the former president.
“I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery,” Musk wrote on X after the shooting.
During a recent press conference, Trump spoke highly of Musk.
“I respect Elon a lot. He respects me,” he said.
“Elon, more than almost anybody I know, he loves this country. He loves the concept of this country, but like me, he says this country is in big trouble, it’s in tremendous danger.”
Musk has been pictured at events at Mar-a-Lago and the UFC, buddying up with Trump.
Trump selected Musk to lead the Department of Government Efficiency – a taskforce aimed at cutting bureaucracy.
The president even said he had purchased one.
While the Tesla boss remains close to the president, his exit comes after a gradual but steady slide in standing.
When asked about Doge’s future, Trump acknowledged that the goal was to operate fluidly without Musk at the helm.
“There will be a point at which the secretaries will be able to do this work and do it, as we say, with a scalpel,” Trump told reporters on Monday.
Trump has been outspoken about his support of Musk’s work with the Department of Government Efficiency, but had hinted that the tech genius won’t be around for long.
Earlier in March, the president said, “I think he will know when it’s time. He doesn’t want to stay around.”
Trump explained that Musk is busy juggling efforts with Space X and various other business ventures and would like to get back at the helm sooner rather than later.
‘MAJOR WASTE CLEANUP’
Since working at the forefront of Doge, Musk has claimed the department has cut tons of wasteful government spending.
Several cabinet secretaries are already discussing with the White House how to proceed without further alienating Congressional Republicans.
“This is a revolution and I think it might be the biggest revolution in the government since the original revolution,” he said.
The Tesla owner was tasked by the Trump administration to find $1 trillion worth of savings by 2026 and claimed DOGE’s goal is to cut waste and the deficit by $4 billion a day, seven days a week.
Trump and DOGE have managed to cut nearly 12 per cent, or 260,000, of the 2.3 million-strong federal civilian workforce largely through threats of firings, buyouts and early retirement offers.
“The DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government,” Musk said.
But even as department heads will keep some DOGE infrastructure in place, they will likely move to reassert control over budgets and staffing.
Having spent nearly $300 million to back Trump’s presidential campaign and other Republicans last year, he said earlier this month he would substantially cut his political spending.
“I think I’ve done enough,” Musk said at an economic forum in Qatar.
AFPMusk speak to the press as they stand next to a Tesla vehicle on the South Portico of the White House[/caption]
APMusk poses before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally at Madison Square Garden[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
