Trump gives friendly send-off to Musk, praises him for his work on DOGE

US President Donald Trump praised Elon Musk for saving $160 bn through DOGE as he bid him farewell. Musk hinted at shifting focus back to Tesla

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday (May 1)  gave a warm send-off to his close friend and adviser, praising Elon Musk for helping the government save money through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

 

Trump said, “We all want to thank you for your help. You really have sacrificed a lot. You have been treated very unfairly.”

 

Musk replied with a joke, “Well, they like to burn my cars, which is not great,” referring to incidents where Tesla vehicles and locations were vandalised since he started working on DOGE. 

 

Trump continued to show his support, telling Musk, “The vast majority of people in this country really respect and appreciate you, and this whole room can say that very strongly; you have really been a tremendous help.”

 

He added, “And you know, you are invited to stay as long as you want.” People in the room, including Trump’s former cabinet members, clapped in response.

 

DOGE saved $160 billion: Musk

 

Trump also credited DOGE with saving the government money. “DOGE had ‘saved’ $150 billion,” he said. Musk corrected him with a smile, “$160 billion, but who is counting?”

 

Last year, Musk had claimed DOGE could reduce the federal budget by “at least $2 trillion.” But in a January interview, he admitted that might be too high. 

 

“I think we will try for $2 trillion. I think that is the best-case outcome,” Musk said. “But I do think that you kind of have to have some overage. I think if we try for $2 trillion, we have got a good shot at getting 1 million,” he added.

 

However, experts are skeptical. The nonprofit Partnership for Public Service told The New York Times that the costs related to DOGE — including layoffs, re-hiring, and other disruptions — might cost upward of $135 billion this year alone.

 

Despite this, Musk remains committed. On Tesla’s earnings call last week, he said, “I would continue work on DOGE ‘for as long as the president would like me to do so, and as long as it is useful.’”

 

But he also hinted at returning his focus to Tesla. “Starting next month, I will be allocating far more of my time to Tesla now that the major work of establishing the Department of Government Efficiency is done,” Musk said.