On Wednesday, Elon Musk, the billionaire leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in the United States, attended President Trump’s cabinet meeting at the White House and signaled his farewell to the attendees. He expressed how honored he was to have worked with the members of Trump’s cabinet.
“I am honored to have worked with your incredible cabinet,” Musk said to Trump during the meeting. “I just want to say thank you to everyone, it has been my privilege to work with you all, thank you for everything you have done.”
Last week, Musk informed investors during a Tesla earnings call that he would significantly reduce his work time at DOGE starting from May, focusing back on Tesla’s work. It is widely expected that he will stop most government work by the end of this month.
“In the first 100 days of the Trump administration, we have achieved tremendous accomplishments,” Musk stated. “As everyone has mentioned, these achievements surpass those of any previous administration. So, this bodes well for the work of the upcoming government.”
During the meeting on Wednesday, Musk wore two hats stacked together – the top one being a red “Make America Great” hat, and the second one being a DOGE hat.
“Elon, by the way, I love your double hats. You are the only one who can pull that off,” remarked Trump.
“Mr. President, you know, they say I wear a lot of hats. As you can see, it’s true, there are even hats on my hats,” Musk replied, provoking laughter among the cabinet members.
Trump thanked Musk for his assistance, acknowledging the sacrifices he has made. Musk jokingly mentioned the retaliatory actions against Tesla cars and dealerships resulting from his work at DOGE.
“But the vast majority of this country truly respects and appreciates you, and everyone here can say that very strongly. You have been a great help,” the President said.
“You can stay at DOGE for however long you want,” Trump added. “But I guess at some point, he definitely wants to go back to working on his cars,” referring to Musk’s return to focusing on Tesla.
The cabinet members applauded Musk.
Musk leads the Department of Government Efficiency as a “Special Government Employee,” with a term limit of 130 days starting from January 20th, ending at the end of May.
Reports have indicated that Trump has informed his inner circle, including cabinet members, that Musk will soon be leaving DOGE. While the White House spokesperson previously stated that Musk would depart after achieving the mission of reducing government spending and streamlining federal workforce.
On Wednesday, Musk mentioned that DOGE has saved the government $160 billion.
White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles informed the New York Post on Tuesday that as Musk prepares to refocus his energy on his company, he is no longer frequently working at the White House. However, discussions with Musk over the phone yield the same results as meeting in person.