Well, folks, it looks like an era has come to a close in Washington, at least for now. This past Friday, the Trump White House released a video marking the end of Elon Musk's tenure working with the administration. Remember how he's been in charge of that new group, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), since January? It feels like just yesterday he started!
The video, which you've probably seen popping up all over social media, was a real highlight reel. It kicked off with Musk's endorsement of President Trump way back in July 2024, right after that scary incident where the President-to-be was almost assassinated. And it went all the way up to his last day in D.C. It was pretty cool to see all the moments they packed in there.
But it wasn't just the video. The White House also sent out a bunch of posts on X, thanking Musk for his service. They even had a list of "DOGE Wins" – and let me tell you, it was impressive. They said he saved American taxpayers a whopping $170 billion! Can you believe that? They also mentioned how DOGE uncovered and canceled about 523,000 active U.S. government credit cards and accounts after an audit. And they even cleaned up records over at the Social Security Administration, among other big projects. It really makes you think about how much waste there must have been before.
On Friday, during a news conference, President Trump actually gave Musk a "key to the White House." That's a pretty big deal! The White House quoted the President saying that "Elon’s delivered a colossal change in the old ways of doing business in Washington… Elon Musk’s service to America has been without comparison in modern history." High praise indeed!
It wasn't just President Trump singing his praises, either. House Speaker Mike Johnson also thanked Musk for his "selfless, patriotic service." He really applauded both Musk and DOGE, saying they "dug through the bureaucracy and shined a light on MASSIVE waste, fraud, and abuse" He also pointed out that they "have saved the American people BILLIONS of dollars, and are updating old and inefficient systems across the federal government — all while providing Republicans with a list of targets of pointless programs that Congressional action will address." Sounds like they really made a difference.
Now, some folks are wondering what's next for DOGE without Musk leading the charge. However, the Trump administration is adamant that the department will continue to operate effectively. Musk himself actually addressed this question when President Trump marked his first 100 days in office. He told a small group of reporters, "DOGE is a way of life, like Buddhism. You wouldn’t ask who would lead Buddhism. Is Buddha needed for Buddhism?" Pretty philosophical, right?
Just a few days before his time at the White House wrapped up, Musk posted on X that he was going "back to spending 24/7 at work and sleeping in conference/server/factory rooms." That's a pretty big change from the Lincoln Bedroom, where we hear he apparently slept quite a few times! But even though it was Musk's official last day, President Trump hinted that it wasn't "really, because he will, always, be with us, helping all the way." So, maybe we haven't seen the last of him in Washington after all!