President Donald Trump held a bizarre press conference with Elon Musk in the Oval Office of the White House on Friday, ostensibly to wave goodbye to the leader of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). But both Trump and Musk essentially admitted that the billionaire oligarch wasn’t really going anywhere, at least when it comes to his influence on the federal government.
“This is not the end of DOGE. This is only the beginning,” Musk said, explaining that his time as a Special Government Employee (SGE) was limited.
SGEs can’t legally work for more than 130 days in any 365-day period, and that period is indeed coming to an end for Musk. But these guys aren’t exactly known for following the rules, and it seems like a convenient way to lower Musk’s profile while maintaining his influence.
The billionaire has apparently been getting on everyone’s nerves, but Musk’s exit appears to be largely symbolic, given that many of the young men he’s installed throughout the government are still in their positions. And President Trump admitted as much during the press conference.
“Many of the DOGE people, Elon, are staying behind too, so they’re not leaving,” Trump said. “And Elon’s really not leaving. He’s going to be back and forth.”
Trump gave Musk a golden key in a box, something he said he only gives to “very special people,” and rattled off a list of things DOGE had canceled, including “making mice transgender” and “Arab Sesame Street.” Musk has taken credit for cancelling countless programs he had no legal authority to cancel, including all of USAID.
“I look forward to continuing to be a friend and advisor to the president, and I look forward to continuing to support the DOGE team,” Musk said.
During the press conference, Musk referred to the “banal evil of bureaucracy,” a dig at the normal functions of the government that don’t benefit him. Musk is a federal contractor, and not a single dollar allocated to his companies has been cut during his tenure taking a chainsaw to the government. Researchers estimate Musk’s cuts with DOGE have killed at least 300,000 people around the world and will kill millions more in the coming years, as vital public health services now go unfunded.
Musk, who started Trump’s second term by giving two Nazi-style salutes, tried to make jokes when asked questions by reporters and whined incessantly after someone mentioned the New York Times. Musk made a big show of denouncing the newspaper in front of Trump, saying they might have to give back their Pulitzer Prize for reporting on the president’s ties to Russia, something he referred to as the Russia hoax.
Katie Miller, the wife of Stephen Miller who had been working as a spokesperson for DOGE, was spotted in the room during the press conference by a photographer for Getty Images. Miller is leaving her government role to follow Musk in the private sector, though it’s not yet clear what role she’ll be playing at any of his companies. The Millers have an odd relationship with Musk, according to reports, and people on social media have joked that it may be sexual in nature, given the way Wired magazine characterized it back in February.
The official X account for the Democratic Party even shared a photo of a hotel “cuck chair” while quote-tweeting a story about Katie Miller on Friday. The account tagged Stephen Miller in the tweet.
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller’s wife, Katie Miller, listens as U.S. President Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk speak to reporters in the Oval Office of the White House on May 30, 2025 in Washington, DC. © Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
Trump also rambled Friday about his personal grievances and “transgender for everyone,” a phrase he uses frequently on Truth Social, though it’s not clear what he means. The Trump regime has persecuted trans people in a sadistic campaign that shows no sign of ending. Musk is also an anti-trans bigot who claims that words like cisgender are slurs.
Musk, who had a black eye, was often gazing at the ceiling and into the distance, sometimes rolling his neck in circles and generally acting very strangely. Asked about the black eye by a reporter, Musk joked that he wasn’t in France, a reference to a viral clip of French President Emmanuel Macron who was recently pushed in the face by his wife. Musk said that he told his 5-year-old son X to punch him in the face.
“I said, go ahead, punch me in the face. And he did. Turns out even a 5-year-old punching you in the face actually does…” Musk said, trailing off. Trump laughed, asking if it was really X who had done that. The Tesla CEO confirmed that’s what happened with a laugh. “But I didn’t really feel much at the time,” Musk continued. “And then I guess it bruises up. But I was just horsing around with the kids.”
The Daily Mail reported Friday that Musk had an encounter with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent that turned “violent,” citing an interview with Steve Bannon. The article quotes Bannon as saying “Elon basically shoved him,” referring to the 62-year-old Bessent, though the exact timing of the confrontation wasn’t revealed. It’s not clear if Musk’s black eye may have been a result of the fight, and Bannon doesn’t say Bessent fought back, which seems like it would have been an important part of the story if that really was the explanation for Musk’s shiner.
The incident and Musk’s odd behavior in the Oval Office are sure to increase speculation about Musk’s purported drug use. The New York Times published a new report on Friday that alleges Musk has been using a number of illicit drugs, including ketamine, ecstasy, and psychedelic mushrooms. Those allegations have been long-standing ever since the Wall Street Journal reported that story in early 2024. The real revelation from the NYT seems to be that Musk has been getting advance notice of drug tests, something he needs to do to maintain his security clearance as a federal contractor for SpaceX.
Elon Musk looks up as he listens to U.S. President Donald Trump speak to reporters in the Oval Office of the White House on May 30, 2025 in Washington, DC. © Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
NASA claimed in 2024 there has been “no evidence” of drug use by Musk, but there might be a very good reason for the lack of evidence if advance warning was given to the billionaire. Musk has previously said he is prescribed ketamine for depression, but the new report from the NYT calls into question the dosing and frequency of his use.
Musk’s alleged drug use would be ironic, of course, given the way that Trump and his supporters insist the country is being overrun by drugs and drug addicts.
