Trump gives Elon Musk an Oval Office sendoff, crediting him with ‘colossal change’

Musk, who wore all black, including a T-shirt that said “The Dogefather,” nodded along as the president listed contracts that had been cut under his watch.

US President Donald Trump bid farewell to Elon Musk in the Oval Office on Friday. Musk is leaving his position spearheading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and is rededicating himself to his businesses, including electric car maker Tesla, rocket company SpaceX and social media platform X. The US President credited Musk with “a colossal change in the old ways of doing business in Washington" and said some of his staff would remain in the administration. Musk left a searing mark on the US federal bureaucracy, including thousands of employees who were fired or pushed out. Some government functions were eviscerated, including the US Agency for International Development, which had provided a lifeline for impoverished people around the world.  Boston University researchers estimate that hundreds of thousands of people have already died as a result of the cuts. Trump gifted Musk what appeared to be a gold-coloured key for his work for establishing DOGE, which sought to layoff federal workers and close government agencies to achieve cost savings. Trump said that he would only bestow this gift to "very special people" and that it was a "presentation from our country."  In response, Musk said: "I hope to continue to provide advice whenever the president would like." "I hope so," Trump cut in before Musk said he hopes to still achieve $1 trillion in federal spending cuts over time. “He’s going to be back and forth, I imagine,” Trump said.  Trump noted that DOGE employees will remain embedded with government agencies and said the billionaire will probably want to keep tabs on “his baby.”