Topline
Elon Musk will maintain his presence in President Donald Trump’s orbit when he leaves the White House, Trump and Musk said Friday during a joint press conference to mark Musk’s last day in the administration.
Elon Musk waves as he arrives for a state dinner at the Lusail Palace on May 14, 2025, in Doha, … More
Key Facts
Musk said, “I’ll continue to be visiting here and be a friend and adviser” to Trump, who said Musk’s “not really leaving.”
Trump repeatedly praised Musk and what he described as “colossal change” spearheaded by the Department of Government Efficiency, telling reporters “he’s gonna be back and forth, I think, I have a feeling—it’s his baby and he’s going to be doing a lot of things.”
Musk departs the White House after publicly criticizing the price tag of Trump’s signature policy bill earlier this week, and announcing earlier this month he would scale back his political spending.
Trump tapped Musk, the richest person in the world, to lead the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) earlier this year after Musk spent more than $250 million to help elect him.
As a special government employee, Musk was not paid and his service was limited to 130 days.
Musk admittedly fell far short of his goal to cut $1 trillion in government spending, but made drastic reductions that could have a lasting effect, including eliminating some agencies entirely and laying off tens of thousands of federal workers, though many of those decisions remain under challenge in the courts.
Doge’s Elimination Of Usaid May Have Led To Over 300,000 Deaths
Eliminating the U.S. Agency for International Development: The Trump administration has terminated more than 80% of grants and contracts, having a drastic and in some cases, devastating, impact on global health funding. The cuts may have resulted in about 300,000 deaths, according to an estimate by Brooke Nichols, an associate professor of global health at Boston University. The majority—more than 200,000—are child deaths. Many stem from malnutrition and malaria. The White House has denied any deaths from the USAID cuts—Secretary of State Marco Rubio told House lawmakers earlier this month “no one has died” because of the cuts.
Doge Firings Under Musk Remain Contested
Courts have overturned tens of thousands of the firings spearheaded by Musk, among multiple legal actions against his work at DOGE. A judge this week refused to dismiss a lawsuit against 14 states that sued Musk and DOGE, alleging illegal access of government data. More than 260,000 federal workers have been fired, taken buyouts or retired since Trump took office, a tally that far exceeds the record 195,000 cut during former President Dwight Eisenhower’s first year, according to Reuters. The Supreme Court last month paused an order by a San Francisco judge requiring the federal government to reinstate more than 16,000 probationary workers—or those who were newly hired—fired by six agencies. New York Times columnist Michelle Goldberg called DOGE’s work “a failure” in a piece published Friday that notes “its firings, re-hirings, use of paid administrative leave and all the associated lack of productivity” could cost more than $135 billion this year, according to the Partnership for Public Service.
Musk Repeatedly Changed Doge’s Goals
Musk said during Trump’s campaign he believed he could find $2 trillion in federal government savings, then made a goal of $1 trillion in cuts when he was appointed to lead DOGE before saying last month he anticipated $150 billion in savings. DOGE’s website has featured numerous errors, including triple counting savings from a contract, claiming it cancelled grants that were terminated years ago and using “billions” when it meant “millions,” according to The New York Times, which also reported DOGE changed its public reporting methods in an apparent attempt to make errors harder to find.
Tangent
Musk raised eyebrows when he used a salute that closely resembled the one used in Nazi Germany at a Trump inauguration event in January. Twice while on stage Musk projected his arm diagonally upward from his chest with an open, downward facing palm. Some observers said it was a “Roman salute,” a take reshared by Musk, who never outright denied the accusations likening him to Hilter, and the Anti-Defamation League determined it was “not a Nazi salute.”
Forbes Valuation
We estimate Musk is worth $428.6 billion.
Big Number
-14. That’s Musk’s net favorability rating, a 20-point decline since January last year, according to Nate Silver’s Silver Bulletin.
Further Reading
Elon Musk Is More Unpopular As He Leaves Trump Administration, Polls Show (Forbes)
Musk’s ‘Legion’: Report Details Richest Man’s Multiple Children And ‘Harem Drama’ (Forbes)
Musk Used Heavy Drugs Including Ketamine And Ecstasy While He Became Close To Trump, Report Says (Forbes)
