Elon Musk receives round of applause from Trump Cabinet in apparent farewell as DOGE chief
Thu, May 1, 2025
WASHINGTON ― President Donald Trump's Cabinet secretaries gave Elon Musk a round of applause as the billionaire Tesla CEO attended what might have been his final Cabinet meeting before he takes a backseat from the Department of Government Efficiency that he launched.
Musk's appearance at the April 30 meeting came after the world's richest man last week said he would begin allocating significantly less of his time to DOGE in May.
"They say I wear a lot of hats. And as you can see, it's true. Even my hat has a hat," Musk said as he wore a red "Gulf of America" cap on top of his Black MAGA hat.
He later appeared to bid farewell, calling it "an honor to work with your incredible Cabinet."
"I just want to say, thank you everyone. It's great to work with you," Musk said.
More: Elon Musk takes a backseat as Donald Trump reaches 100 days in office
Musk's reduced role in the White House comes after his electric vehicle company Tesla has suffered the consequences of his increasingly polarizing brand as the president of the United States' chief sidekick. Tesla posted earnings down 71% during the first quarter of 2025.
"He really has sacrificed a lot, been treated very unfairly," Trump said after Musk addressed Trump's full Cabinet at a meeting marking the president's first 100 days in office. "But the vast majority of people in this country really respect and appreciate you, and this whole room can say that very strongly."
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It was the fifth Cabinet meeting Musk has attended since Trump's return to the White House, but this one came after Musk, the chief government disrupter since Jan. 20, has already taken a less visible role.
"You know, you're invited to stay as long as you want, and at some point he wants to get back home to his cars," Trump said, prompting the applause from top officials in his administration.
Trump credited Musk ‒ whose group DOGE has steered efforts to cut federal workers and eliminate programs ‒ for "opening up a lot of eyes" on what can be done in government. "You've done a fantastic job," Trump said, commending Musk for eliminating $150 billion in spending from the federal government.
"$160 billion," Musk said, correcting Trump, although both figures are vastly short of the $1 trillion ‒ and originally $2 trillion ‒ savings goal Musk originally put forward.
Musk's status as a "special government employee" is set to end at the end of May. The White House has said DOGE will continue until the middle of 2026.
More: Elon Musk lowers DOGE's projected savings from $1 trillion to $150 billion
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