Elon Musk receives applause from Cabinet as he begins planned departure from DOGE role

Elon Musk received a round of applause from President Donald Trump’s Cabinet as he prepares for a planned exit from his role at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). 

‘You have been treated unfairly,’ Trump said to Musk during a Cabinet meeting Wednesday. ‘But, the vast majority of people in this country really respect and appreciate you. And this whole room can say that very strongly. It’s really been a tremendous help. You opened up a lot of eyes as to what could be done. And we just want to thank you very much.’

‘You’re invited to stay as long as you want,’ Trump added as applause broke out in the room for Musk. ‘At some point, I guess he wants to get back home to his cars and his family.’ 

Musk has been the public leader of DOGE since the administration began in January, leading teams through various federal agencies in search of government overspending, fraud and mismanagement, which has received repeated praise from Trump and his administration. 

The tech billionaire, who leads both SpaceX and Tesla, was hired as a ‘special government employee,’ which is a role Congress created in 1962 that allows the executive or legislative branch to hire temporary employees for specific short-term initiatives.

Special government employees are permitted to work for the federal government for ‘no more than 130 days in a 365- day period,’ according to data from the Office of Government Ethics. Musk’s 130-day time frame, beginning on Inauguration Day, runs dry May 30. 

White House chief of staff Susie Wiles told the New York Post Tuesday that Musk is no longer working regularly from the White House. 

‘Instead of meeting with him in person, I’m talking to him on the phone, but it’s the same net effect,’ Wiles told the outlet as the tech billionaire prepares to depart from his role at DOGE. ‘He hasn’t been here physically, but it really doesn’t matter much.’ 

Musk said during the Cabinet meeting Wednesday that DOGE has now saved the U.S. $160 billion through his efforts trimming government fat, and celebrated the accomplishments of the administration in the meeting. 

‘The American people voted for secure borders, safe cities and sensible spending,’ Musk said. ‘And that’s what they’ve gotten. Tremendous amount has been accomplished in the first hundred days. As everyone has said, it’s more than has been accomplished in any administration before. Ever. Period. So, this portends very well for what happens for the rest of the administration. I think this could be the greatest administration since the founding of the country.’ 

The tech billionaire notably wore two Trump hats during the meeting, quipping: ‘Mr. President they say I wear a lot of hats,’ he said. ‘Even my hat has a hat.’

DOGE is a temporary cross-departmental organization that was established to slim down and streamline the federal government. The group itself will be dissolved July 4, 2026, according to Trump’s executive order.

Musk and Trump have both previously previewed that Musk’s role was temporary and would come to end in the coming weeks. 

‘You, technically, are a special government employee and you’re supposed to be 130 days,’ Fox News’ Bret Baier asked Musk during an exclusive interview with the DOGE leader in March. ‘Are you going to continue past that or do you think that’s what you’re going to do?’ 

‘I think we will have accomplished most of the work required to reduce the deficit by a trillion dollars within that time frame,’ Musk responded. 

Trump also told the media in March that he would keep Musk ‘as long as I can keep him,’ but that ‘he’s got a big company to run.’

Tesla dealerships have faced repeated protests amid Musk’s work with DOGE, including physical attacks on cars and monetary boycotts of the company. 

Musk noted during the Cabinet meeting that protesters ‘do like to burn my cars, which is not great,’ which received laughter from colleagues.