Trump Bids Farewell to Elon Musk at White House Event: "He Brought About Monumental Change"

In an event held in the Oval Office, U.S. President Donald Trump bid farewell to entrepreneur Elon Musk this past Friday, as Musk stepped down from his role heading the controversial Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Trump praised Musk's leadership as a "monumental change" in the political landscape of Washington.

"Elon has achieved a monumental transformation in the outdated ways of conducting business in Washington," Trump declared in front of cabinet members and the media. "He stands as one of the greatest business leaders and innovators the world has known. His service to our nation is unmatched in modern history," he added.

Musk, who led the contentious DOGE for 130 days—a division established to cut public spending and modernize federal administration—was presented with a symbolic key by the president in recognition of his efforts. According to Trump, under Musk's leadership, the agency saved over $160 billion and shut down departments that were "just squandering taxpayer money."

Trump highlighted examples of DOGE's work, uncovering "ridiculous and wasteful" expenditures, such as $101 million in contracts for the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) program at the Department of Education; $59 million for hotel accommodations for illegal immigrants in New York City; $45 million for DEI scholarships in Myanmar; and $42 million for social and behavioral change in Uganda. He also mentioned $20 million allocated for Arabic Sesame Street and $8 million for creating transgender mice.

"Elon isn't truly leaving. DOGE is his creation," Trump continued. "Under his guidance, fraud has been detected, inefficiencies eliminated, and outdated systems modernized. He has placed engineering-minded geniuses at the forefront of the government," Trump stated.

For his part, Musk announced that his departure was due to the expiration of his temporary contract, but he assured that he would continue to advise Trump informally. "I will remain a friend and advisor to the president. This is not the end of DOGE; its influence will continue to grow. It's a way of life," expressed the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX.

He added, "This isn't the end of DOGE, but rather the beginning... The DOGE team will strengthen over time... It's spreading throughout the government, and I am confident that, in time, we'll see a trillion-dollar reduction in waste and fraud." Regarding the analysis of "millions of budget items" to reduce waste, fraud, and abuse, he stressed, "It's simply a lot of work to analyze the enormous expenses of the federal government... We encounter situations where there are millions of software licenses and no one uses them."

During the same conference, Trump also addressed other national and international issues such as tariffs and economic defense. He celebrated a court decision allowing the temporary maintenance of his administration's tariffs, stating, "Without them, our nation would be in danger. These levies are vital to protect our economy."

Trump also defended his order to temporarily suspend the enrollment of foreign students at Harvard and to limit educational visas: "We want the best students, not troublemakers. Harvard has not behaved well," the president stated.

Although Musk's tenure in the Trump administration was brief, it had a significant impact. Under his direction, DOGE implemented structural reforms, enacted massive budget cuts, and redesigned bureaucratic processes with a technological focus, which was heavily criticized by various sectors of American society. "Elon was a whirlwind in Washington," Trump concluded.

Recently, Musk criticized the president's budget proposal, claiming it undermined his work at DOGE. Shortly thereafter, he announced the end of his tenure at the agency.