Standing alongside Trump in the Oval Office, Musk, who faced a 130-day limit in his tenure as a special government employee that had ended two days prior, vowed that his departure “is not the end” of Doge.
The president presented Musk with a golden key to the White House to mark his service.
Conceived on the campaign trail not long after Musk endorsed Trump’s bid to return to the White House, Doge was established by an executive order the president signed hours after being sworn in.
“We do expect to achieve over time the trillion dollars of savings,” Musk said in the Oval Office.
As for Musk, he said he would “continue to be visiting here and be a friend and adviser to the president”.
Elon Musk led the so-called department of government efficiency’s disruptive foray into federal departments for more than four months, but the cost savings were far lower than anticipated. On Friday, Donald Trump bid Musk farewell from the White House.
Musk, who had been under a 130-day limit as a special government employee that had ended two days earlier, stood next to Trump in the Oval Office and swore that his exit “is not the end” of Doge.
Over time, the Doge team will only get more formidable. Doge’s influence will only increase. He compared it to a certain type of Buddhist person, saying, “It’s like a way of life.”.
Musk “delivered a colossal change in the old ways of doing business in Washington,” according to Trump, who lavished praise on the richest man in the world, calling Doge “the most sweeping and consequential government reform program in generations.”.
Musk was honored for his service by the president with a golden key to the White House.
He did love our country, so he voluntarily put up with the ludicrous attacks, lies, slander, and abuse. I am definitely aware of that,” Trump remarked.
They made their joint appearance just hours after the New York Times revealed Musk’s use of psychedelic mushrooms, ecstasy, and ketamine during his Trump campaign last year. In the Oval Office, Musk wore a suit jacket over a T-shirt and a black cap. He also had a bruise around his right eye, which he claimed was from his young son punching him while they were “horsing around.”.
Doge was created by an executive order the president signed hours after taking office, and it was conceived on the campaign trail shortly after Musk supported Trump’s attempt to run for president again. The company’s employees, many of whom are young and have connections to Musk but have little to no government experience, then dispersed throughout federal agencies, eliminating budget items and ordering staff terminations.
By the time Trump took office, his original plan to reduce government spending by $2 trillion had been reduced to $1 trillion. This is still a significant amount, which the president described as essential to his promised “golden age” of lower taxes, leaner government, and tougher immigration compliance.
Protesting against Doge’s mass firings, labor unions and Democrats cautioned that the unconventional measures taken to entice federal employees to quit their jobs and collect data about their work would jeopardize government operations. The program announced its existence through emails that went viral, like the “fork in the road” deferred resignation offers or the brief requirement that employees from all departments submit a thorough list of their achievements.
Court challenges resulted from Doge’s involvement in the dissolution of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the termination of thousands of probationary employees. At a major conservative conference in February, Musk showed up with a chainsaw that he said “is for bureaucracy!” as the initiative gained momentum.
However, the rapid pace of cost-cutting led to mistakes, like the administration’s hasty attempt to rehire probationary staff expelled from the nuclear weapons agency. Anti-Musk vandals started attacking Tesla automobiles and dealerships, and it has been reported that Trump’s recently appointed cabinet secretaries are furious about Musk’s romp through the federal government.
Despite being notorious for its mistakes, Doge’s publicly accessible website that details its cuts claims to have saved only $175 billion, which is far less than Musk had hoped to save.
Musk stated in the Oval Office, “We do expect to achieve the trillion dollars of savings over time.”. I believe that we could save a trillion dollars by the middle of next year if the president and Congress support it. We’ll be able to do that. “.”.
Congress’s Republicans are anticipated to try to codify Doge’s cuts when they examine appropriations bills for the upcoming federal fiscal year’s budget. Musk stated that he would “continue to be visiting here and be a friend and adviser to the president.”.
