Watch the moment President Trump’s cabinet gives Elon Musk a round of applause as they acknowledge the tech mogul’s work in establishing DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency).
Musk this month claimed his work slashing costs for the Trump administration will save $150bn.
Trump told Musk that total could substantially increase by “double or triple” during the warm exchange, in which he invited him to stay in his role “for as long as he wants”.
But Musk will be stepping down next month to “focus on his cars”, Trump said.
Whilst wearing a ‘Gulf of America’ hat, Musk told the president: “The American people voted for secure borders, safe cities and sensible spending. That’s what they’ve gotten.
Elon Musk was warmly received by fellow cabinet officials and Donald Trump himself at the meeting
POOL
“A tremendous amount has been accomplished in the first 100 days, more than any administration before ever. This bodes well for the rest of this administration.
“I think this could be the greatest administration in the history of this country.”
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
Trump paid tribute to the man he put in charge of slashing inefficiencies in his administration and took a swipe at those who he says have treated Musk “unfairly”.
The SpaceX founder has become a controversial figure in Trump’s cabinet with leftists often targeting products like Tesla cars to make their disdain for him clear.
The president continued: “The vast majority of people in this country really respect you, you have been a tremendous help.
“You are welcome to stay as long as you want. At some point you want to get back home to your cars.
Elon Musk’s presence in the Trump administration has proven controversial
PA
“You have done an incredible job $150bn. A lot of stuff is being worked on – that number could be doubled or even tripled. A lot is being worked on that we’re not quite there with yet.
“You’ve done a fantastic job and we appreciate it.”
Musk then paid tribute to Trump’s “incredible” cabinet, saying working with them has been a pleasure.
It comes after the president’s chief of staff revealed Musk is “not as present as he was” in the White House.
Donald Trump met with cabinet officials to mark 100 days in office
POOL
Speaking to the New York Post, Susie Wiles said: “Instead of meeting with him in person, I’m talking to him on the phone, but it’s the same net effect.”
Musk poured billions of dollars into Trump’s presidential campaign and was rewarded with a spot in his cabinet.
He will, however, be stepping down from his DOGE role in May.
Wiles insisted Musk will continue to play a role in the department’s future decisions, adding “he’s certainly not abandoning it. His people are definitely not.”
The president celebrated 100 days in power with a cabinet meeting in which he praised his controversial tariffs and businesses which he says are investing domestically.
He is under fire after a new report showed the US economy shrank 0.3 per cent in the first three months of the year as firms stockpiled imports ahead of the tariffs.
Trump says Joe Biden is to blame, saying “bad numbers” on Wall Street have “nothing to do with tariffs”.
