US President Donald Trump on Friday held a farewell for Elon Musk, his billionaire adviser whose brief tenure was marred by controversy.
Mr Musk, the world's richest man, dressed all in black and with a black eye, stood next to Mr Trump in the Oval Office to officially take his leave, more than four months after he was charged with slashing governmental spending through the Department of Government Efficiency, or Doge.
“Elon is really not leaving – he's going to be back and forth,” Mr Trump said. “I have a feeling it's [Doge] his baby, and I think he's going to be doing a lot of things, but Elon's service to America has been without comparison in modern history.”
His 130-day mandate as a special government employee in the Trump administration was set to expire around May 30, the White House said.
As head of Doge, Mr Musk slashed tens of thousands of government jobs, arguing the move would cut unnecessary spending and corruption. He also closed entire departments, including the US Agency for International Development (USAID). In March, a federal judge ruled Mr Musk's actions on USAID were likely unconstitutional.
The Trump administration also said the cuts took aim at diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programmes, a major target of the President's ire.
But the effort was marred with controversy, with reports of inefficiency and inadequate planning leading to some hastily laid-off employees being asked to return to work. Mr Musk said he would continue to advise Mr Trump.
“This is not the end of Doge, but really the beginning of my time as a special government employee,” Mr Musk said.
He said his team slashed $160 million in spending – far short of the $2 trillion he said it would cut. “I'm confident that over time, we'll see a trillion dollars of savings and reduction in a trillion dollars' of waste,” he added.
Mr Musk's departure from the White House comes after a report by The New York Times said that he heavily used ketamine on the 2024 campaign trail, when he made numerous appearances to rally support for Mr Trump in swing states including Pennsylvania.
The newspaper said Mr Musk also took other drugs, including ecstasy and mushrooms, and travelled with a large pill box.
During the lengthy and often disjointed Oval Office news conference, Mr Musk was asked about the bruise near his right eye. He said his young son, X, had punched him in the face.
“Well, it wasn't anywhere near France,” Mr Musk said referencing footage showing French first lady Brigitte Macron shoving her husband, President Emmanuel Macron, in the face before he descended from a plane on Sunday.
“I was horsing around with little X and I said, go ahead, punch me in the face, and he did,” Mr Musk said.
