- Elon Musk has parted ways with President Donald Trump and the Department of Government Efficiency, claiming his team’s efforts saved $160 billion for taxpayers. However, while in the Oval Office on Friday, Musk admitted that slashing federal spending was “a lot of work.” He also claimed a bruise on his eye came from his five-year-old son, X, after playfully asking the boy to punch him in the face.
According to Elon Musk, you can take him out of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), but you can’t take DOGE out of the government any time soon.
“The DOGE team will only grow stronger over time and the DOGE influence will only grow stronger,” said Musk, wearing a black T-shirt that said, “Dogefather” and a black DOGE cap. He compared it to Buddhism, and said DOGE is now a way of life.
Musk joined President Donald Trump for a final press briefing with reporters on Friday to mark Musk’s last day as a special government employee—and also explained away a bruise near his right eye as the result of playing with his young son, X, and asking the boy to “punch me in the face.”
Musk’s stint was to last 130 days, and his time is up, he said. He claimed victory and said DOGE was responsible for $160 billion in savings for 2025-2026 and predicted the figure could eventually reach $200 billion. Musk had previously pledged to save $2 trillion while on the campaign trail with Trump, later scaling it back to $1 trillion. On Friday, Musk said he was confident that there would be $1 trillion in waste reduction over time.
Musk admitted on his final day as a special government employee that cutting costs was difficult because of the sheer scale of issues to sift through.
“It’s mostly just a lot of work, going through really millions of line items and saying, ‘Does this expenditure make sense or does it not make sense?’” he said, standing next to the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office while Trump sat behind it.
Democratic state leaders cheered Musk’s departure.
In a statement, Illinois Treasurer Michael Frerichs said DOGE was “never about fiscal responsibility.”
“Inside or outside the White House, Musk remains a symbol of the naked greed of those in Trump’s administration,” said Frerichs. “Trump continues to prioritize the ultra-rich over Americans who live paycheck to paycheck and face unemployment and homelessness.”
Oregon Treasurer Elizabeth Steiner said Tesla, where Musk is the CEO, “desperately needs his focus.”
“DOGE was a distraction for Mr. Musk, which neither America nor Tesla could afford,” said Steiner in a statement. “DOGE has cost Americans thousands of jobs, pulled the plug on life-saving medical research, and interrupted vital services like Social Security that provide economic lifelines for families and communities. Mr. Musk should do what he does best—be an innovator and an entrepreneur.”
A group of investors sent a letter this week to Tesla Chair Robyn Denholm, asking the board to ensure that Musk worked full time at Tesla.
“Any new compensation plan offered to CEO Musk should include a commitment to devote a
minimum of 40 hours per week to the management of the company,” the letter stated.
Musk told investors last month that he would reallocate more time for the electric vehicle manufacturer. On Friday, he said he would make himself available to Trump informally whenever the president needed him “as a friend and an adviser.”
“Elon is not really leaving,” said Trump. “He’s going to be back and forth. I think, I have a feeling—it’s his baby, and I think he’s going to be doing a lot of things.”
Trump and Musk both said the majority of the DOGE team would remain. Musk said DOGE work wasn’t without challenges.
In addition to the massive review needed, Musk said DOGE encountered resistance to spending cuts while also claiming there were hardly any complaints at all for some cost cutting.
“Obviously, at times, when you cut expenses, those who are receiving the money, whether they’re receiving that money legitimately or not, they do complain,” said Musk.
On the other hand, he said DOGE found that there were “millions of software licenses” with zero people using them, and that some expenditures DOGE slashed resulted in no complaints.
He also lamented the fact that DOGE became what he called a “scapegoat” for government cuts, and got blamed for things he had nothing to do with
Musk said a friend’s daughter, who is an intern, thought DOGE cut funding for legal internships with the U.S. Senate.
“We have nothing to do with that,” said Musk. “It just became a bit ridiculous where anything, any cut, anywhere, was attributed to DOGE, including things that made no sense, and we would agree, made no sense.”
Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
