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It was a praise-filled display of mutual admiration between Elon Musk and President Donald Trump in the Oval Office on Friday afternoon.
To commemorate Musk’s official last day with DOGE, Trump held a press conference with the Tesla CEO — gifting Musk a large key in the process.
The president handed Musk a brown box containing the key, saying he reserves this gift for “very special people.”
Musk, standing next to the president in a black DOGE cap and a graphic tee reading “The Dogefather,” accepted the present, saying it was “amazing” and admiring Trump’s revamped golden Oval Office decor.
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
Trump heaped compliments on Musk and repeatedly thanked him for his work during the event as the two answered questions from the press amid recent reports of fractures in their relationship.
Trump said that DOGE’s work would continue after Musk’s departure. Trump said the DOGE employees are “geniuses,” especially when it comes to computers.
The president said that DOGE’s cost savings, which have fallen far short of the $1 trillion goal, could “double and triple,” because many of the group’s projects take time to complete. Trump flagged the Internal Revenue Service in particular, saying that rebuilding some of the agency’s systems would take years.
Friday is Musk’s final day as a special government employee and face of the White House DOGE Office, but Trump signaled he may continue to visit and advise from time to time.
“Elon is really not leaving,” Trump said. “He’s going to be back and forth, I think. I have a feeling. It’s his baby.”
When asked by a reporter whether he’d continue advising the president, Musk said he expected to. Trump chimed in briefly, too: “I hope so.”
Musk said he’d “expect to remain a friend and an advisor.”
“Certainly, if there’s anything the president wants me to do, I’m at the president’s service,” he added.
Musk also said that he thinks DOGE could save $1 trillion by its self-imposed deadline of July 4, 2026, so long as it has the support of Trump and Congress. He recently estimated the group has saved $160 billion, and Trump has asked Congress to approve $9 billion worth of suggested cuts.
Musk also teased a potentially longer lifespan for DOGE during Friday’s news conference, saying that the president “may choose to extend” its official end date. As for DOGE employees themselves, however long they’re around, Musk said “the DOGE team will only grow stronger over time, the DOGE influence will grow stronger.”
When Musk first announced his departure from government earlier this month, he said DOGE’s mission would live on. On Thursday, the White House confirmed that another prominent DOGE leader, Musk’s right-hand man Steve Davis, had also left the team.
Musk has said he’s leaving to devote more time to his various companies. He also said he planned to cut back on political spending, after shelling out more than $270 million during the 2024 election.
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