Trump, Elon Musk to hold joint event as DOGE loses its leader, top staffers

Trump, Elon Musk to hold joint event as DOGE loses its leader, top staffers


President Donald Trump on Friday will host a press event to celebrate Elon Musk as the Tesla CEO concludes his official government service after four turbulent months leading the so-called Department of Government Efficiency.

Musk’s scheduled departure comes at a precarious moment, both for DOGE and for his relationship with the president.

Multiple top staffers at DOGE have either recently left or are on their way out of the federal workforce-slashing group. They include Steve Davis, the president of Musk’s Boring Company, and DOGE spokeswoman Katie Miller, White House officials told NBC News. Attorney James Burnham is also reportedly leaving the group.

Musk worked for Trump temporarily as a powerful and highly visible “special government employee” after spending over $250 million helping to get the president elected.

Trump has regularly praised Musk throughout his tenure, up to and including his announcement of Friday’s Oval Office “press conference.”

“This will be his last day, but not really, because he will, always, be with us, helping all the way,” Trump wrote Thursday on Truth Social, adding, “Elon is terrific!”

But Musk, the world’s richest man, has publicly broken with Trump and clashed with Cabinet members on multiple occasions.

He expressed support for lower tariffs, undermining Trump’s “tariff man” persona. He also slammed White House trade advisor Peter Navarro as “truly a moron” and “dumber than a sack of bricks.”

This week, Musk broke with Trump over the “one big, beautiful bill” that the president is pushing congressional Republicans to approve.

Musk told CBS’ “Sunday Morning” that he was “disappointed” that the bill would increase the federal budget deficit, saying it “undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing.”

The “Department of Government Efficiency,” which Musk once predicted would cut trillions of dollars in government spending, has come nowhere close to that level, according to its own numbers, which also have come under question.

But Musk said DOGE isn’t done yet.

Read more CNBC politics coverage

“The @DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government,” Musk wrote Wednesday in an X post thanking Trump.

Musk’s tenure in politics also bruised his public image and soured consumers’ views of Tesla, whose cars and showrooms became a target for arsonists and vandals.

In his final weeks in government, Musk, once omnipresent in Trump’s orbit, became far less visible, Politico reported.

Musk recently signaled he plans to back away from politics, including by pulling back on future campaign contributions, and focus more on his many businesses.

This is developing news. Please check back for updates.



Source

The government shutdown fight hinges on ACA tax credits — and if immigrants should get them
Politics

The government shutdown fight hinges on ACA tax credits — and if immigrants should get them

The federal government may soon shut down, in large part because of a debate between Republicans and Democrats over Obamacare subsidies and whether some immigrants should get those financial benefits. Republicans claim Democrats want to give health care to “illegal immigrants.” Democrat, in turn, say that’s a lie. Democrats say they are only trying to […]

Read More
Trump says Harvard to pay 0 million in deal with administration
Politics

Trump says Harvard to pay $500 million in deal with administration

A glimpse into the Harvard University campus on May 24, 2025 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Vcg | Visual China Group | Getty Images President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that his administration had reached a deal with Harvard University after months of negotiations and that the Ivy League school will pay $500 million. “Linda is finishing […]

Read More
Government shutdown: ‘Democrats should do the right thing,’ Speaker Johnson says
Politics

Government shutdown: ‘Democrats should do the right thing,’ Speaker Johnson says

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) accompanied by Vice President J.D. Vance, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), and Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought, speaks during a press conference following a meeting between President Trump and Congressional Democratic leaders on funding the government, in Washington, DC on September 29, 2025. Nathan Posner | […]

Read More