US President Donald Trump and Elon Musk addressed the media on Friday on the “terrific” South African-born billionaire’s final day on the so-called Division of Authorities Effectivity (DOGE).Musk, who has served as the top of the DOGE because the begin of Trump’s second time period in January, has stepped down from his function in Washington.Within the press convention, US President Trump hailed Musk and stated, “My good friend has executed a improbable job.”Listed below are key quotes from the press convention:The presser kicked off with President Trump praising Musk, saying he had executed an “wonderful job.”Trump then remarked, “Our authorities generally is a bit disagreeable typically,” to which Musk replied, “Sure, sometimes.”“At present its a few man named Elon, one of many best innovaters the world has ever produced. He has labored tirelessly main probably the most sweeping and consequential authorities reform programme in generations,” Trump stated whereas addressing the media.Trump stated Elon Musk and his workforce on the DOGE have found “issues which can be unbelievably silly and unbelievably dangerous.”On the press convention, the US president stated Musk has made a “colossal change” in how issues are being executed in Washington. “The mindset within the senior ranks in each federal division has actually modified,” Trump stated.On the joint look within the White Home’s Oval Workplace, President Trump remarked, “He’s going to be forwards and backwards, I feel,” referring to Elon Musk, who stood beside him.In the meantime, billionaire Elon Musk stated that he would proceed serving as a “good friend and advisor” to Donald Trump, because the US president held a farewell ceremony within the Oval Workplace for the person who spearheaded a contentious cost-cutting marketing campaign. “I sit up for persevering with to be a good friend and advisor to the president,” Musk informed reporters, after Trump introduced him with a golden key as a parting present for his management of the so-called Division of Authorities Effectivity (DOGE).Musk indicators outElon Musk’s brief however explosive tenure in Washington got here to an finish on Friday. Musk departs after simply 4 months on the helm of the Division of Authorities Effectivity (DOGE), a unit created to slash federal waste however which has since drawn fierce criticism for its aggressive cuts and chaotic strategies.Musk’s departure marks the top of a turbulent chapter within the Trump administration. As soon as seen as Trump’s ideological associate, he arrived in Washington earlier this yr with a chainsaw actually and figuratively pledging to chop $2 trillion from federal spending. As an alternative, watchdogs estimate his actual financial savings amounted to only $12 billion, with The Atlantic pegging it nearer to $2 billion.His model, rooted in Silicon Valley’s mantra of “transfer quick and break issues,” proved jarring in a capital ruled by forms and political compromise. DOGE slashed hundreds of jobs, shuttered departments like USAID, and even gutted scientific groups on the FDA and EPA. However the backlash was swift, lawsuits piled up, businesses rehired laid-off employees, and humanitarian penalties mounted overseas.Behind the scenes, Musk’s relationships contained in the administration deteriorated. He clashed publicly with high officers, together with shouting matches with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. His frustration boiled over in latest interviews, the place he criticised Trump’s new spending invoice and hinted at his rising disillusionment.In the meantime, his companies floundered. Tesla confronted slumping gross sales and protests, whereas SpaceX suffered a number of failed launches. Shareholders demanded his return, urging him to refocus.