In a send-off at the White House on Friday, US President Donald Trump praised tech billionaire Elon Musk in the highest terms for his efforts to cut government spending, DPA reports.
Musk had initiated the most comprehensive and far-reaching reform programme of the government in generations, Trump said during a joint appearance with the South African-born entrepreneur. The president was referring to the Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
"Elon’s service to America is without comparison in modern history," Trump asserted.
Musk had saved the government billions of dollars and delivered a "colossal change” in how Washington does things, he added.
The amount saved by Musk and his team would continue to rise over time, Trump said, noting that the people of the United States owed him a debt of gratitude.
The president also expressed confidence that Musk would not disappear completely from the political scene. "He’s going to be back and forth, I think, I have a feeling. [DOGE is] his baby," Trump said in the Oval Office, with Musk standing next to him.
Musk said he hoped to continue visiting the White House as a "friend and adviser."
"This was not the end of DOGE, but the beginning," Musk added.
Musk announced on Wednesday that his time in government service was coming to an end "as planned" and he aims to return to running his companies.
His status as a "special government employee" is limited to 130 days under US rules. This made it clear that Musk would have to step down from the position at the end of May.
While DOGE claims to have saved around $160 billion, critics dismiss the figure as window dressing and estimate the savings to be a fraction of that amount at best.
During Trump's election campaign, Musk had talked about wanting to save $2 trillion. He is now still talking about the goal of saving $1 trillion.
