Elon Musk is officially done with his nongovernmental government business at the so-called Department of Government Efficiency—at least for now.
“This is not the end of DOGE, but really the beginning,” he said during his departure ceremony in the Oval Office on Friday. “The DOGE team will only grow stronger over time. The DOGE’s influence will only grow stronger. I liken it to a sort of personal Buddhism. It's like a way of life. So it is permeating throughout the government.”
Musk received a ceremonial golden key from President Donald Trump, who has a penchant for covering things in gold at taxpayers’ expense.
“A little special something we have here. A very special … that I give to very special people. I have given it to some, but it goes to very special people,” Trump said while presenting Musk with the key.
The ceremony appeared to be an attempt at damage control following Musk’s criticisms of Trump’s “One Big, Beautiful Bill,” which would more than double the national deficit.
Sporting a black eye during the ceremony, Musk claimed that it was a result of a punch from his 5-year-old son. The world’s most dubious dad also dismissed Friday's explosive report on his excessive drug abuse.
According to Wired, Musk was correct in his assertion that DOGE isn’t going away.
“This doesn’t sound like a group that is going away, it sounds like one that’s digging in like a parasite,” a Department of Agriculture IT specialist told the outlet.
If the purpose of Trump’s ceremony for Musk was to reassure the public that the unpopular billionaire would stop dismantling vital government agencies, then mission not accomplished.
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