President Donald Trump held a news conference in the Oval Office on Friday to thank Elon Musk for his service leading the administration’s government-slashing “Department of Government Efficiency” operation.
“Americans owe him a great debt of gratitude,” Trump said as he praised the cuts made so far by the DOGE team. Musk and DOGE “delivered a colossal change in the old ways of doing business in Washington,” Trump said.
Musk “had to go through the slings and the arrows, which is a shame, because he’s an incredible patriot,” Trump said. “The good news is that 90 percent of the country knows that, and they appreciate it, and they really appreciate what he did.”
Musk’s time as a temporary special government employee has come to an end, the DOGE leader said as he stood behind the president for the nearly hourlong press conference.
