<p>Washington: President Donald Trump is giving Elon Musk a swan song from the Oval Office.</p>.<p>The two men will hold a news conference Friday afternoon as Musk steps away from his role as Trump's cost-cutter-in-chief.</p>.<p>Musk's departure, which he formally announced Wednesday, comes as his influence in the Trump administration has declined and friction with shareholders in his companies and the president has increased.</p>.<p>Musk said he was leaving because he has served 130 days in the administration, the legal limit for "special government employees."</p>.<p>"The @DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government," Musk wrote on X, the social media platform he owns, referring to his Department of Government Efficiency team.</p>.<p>Musk enmeshed himself in Trump's inner circle after he spent hundreds of millions of dollars to help Trump get elected. The president gave him wide latitude to slash government programs from his perch leading the DOGE effort, and he became a constant presence at Trump's side, traveling with him on Air Force One, sitting in on meetings with foreign leaders and participating in joint interviews.</p>.A Musk-Telegram AI pact sets the stage for more drama.<p>But Musk also developed contentious relationships with members of Trump's Cabinet and other senior White House advisers. He sparred with Cabinet officials over spending and personnel decisions and instilled fear throughout Washington because of his willingness to use X to attack his critics. Musk also angered officials, including Trump, when he sought to receive a sensitive briefing on China at the Pentagon, which the president only learned about from a New York Times report.</p>.<p>Musk departs Washington disillusioned by the government he promised to overhaul. He and his team gutted several federal agencies and laid off thousands of workers, but he never came close to achieving his goal of cutting $1 trillion from the federal budget.</p>.<p>Musk's DOGE team has repeatedly inflated its cost-saving efforts, but even so, the effect of the mass layoffs and program cuts has been deep. Some departments and programs have been almost entirely dismantled.</p>.<p>In recent weeks, Musk put distance between himself and Trump on some key issues. He complained about Trump's tariff regime, and this week, he said he was "disappointed" by the domestic policy bill that the president championed. He argued the massive bill would increase the budget deficit, putting him at odds with the president and his senior advisers.</p>.<p>Musk has said he will now devote more time to his private companies, including SpaceX and Tesla.</p>.<p>"I think I probably did spend a bit too much time on politics," Musk said in an interview this week with Ars Technica, a tech news outlet.</p>.<p>But Musk is not fully leaving Trump's orbit. He has told Trump's advisers this year that he would give $100 million to political groups controlled by the president's team before the 2026 midterms. As of this week, the money hasn't come in yet, according to people familiar with the matter.</p>.<p>And Trump had kind words for Musk when the president announced he would hold a joint news conference to say goodbye.</p>.<p>"This will be his last day, but not really, because he will, always, be with us, helping all the way," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "Elon is terrific! See you tomorrow at the White House."</p>
<p>Washington: President Donald Trump is giving Elon Musk a swan song from the Oval Office.</p>.<p>The two men will hold a news conference Friday afternoon as Musk steps away from his role as Trump's cost-cutter-in-chief.</p>.<p>Musk's departure, which he formally announced Wednesday, comes as his influence in the Trump administration has declined and friction with shareholders in his companies and the president has increased.</p>.<p>Musk said he was leaving because he has served 130 days in the administration, the legal limit for "special government employees."</p>.<p>"The @DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government," Musk wrote on X, the social media platform he owns, referring to his Department of Government Efficiency team.</p>.<p>Musk enmeshed himself in Trump's inner circle after he spent hundreds of millions of dollars to help Trump get elected. The president gave him wide latitude to slash government programs from his perch leading the DOGE effort, and he became a constant presence at Trump's side, traveling with him on Air Force One, sitting in on meetings with foreign leaders and participating in joint interviews.</p>.A Musk-Telegram AI pact sets the stage for more drama.<p>But Musk also developed contentious relationships with members of Trump's Cabinet and other senior White House advisers. He sparred with Cabinet officials over spending and personnel decisions and instilled fear throughout Washington because of his willingness to use X to attack his critics. Musk also angered officials, including Trump, when he sought to receive a sensitive briefing on China at the Pentagon, which the president only learned about from a New York Times report.</p>.<p>Musk departs Washington disillusioned by the government he promised to overhaul. He and his team gutted several federal agencies and laid off thousands of workers, but he never came close to achieving his goal of cutting $1 trillion from the federal budget.</p>.<p>Musk's DOGE team has repeatedly inflated its cost-saving efforts, but even so, the effect of the mass layoffs and program cuts has been deep. Some departments and programs have been almost entirely dismantled.</p>.<p>In recent weeks, Musk put distance between himself and Trump on some key issues. He complained about Trump's tariff regime, and this week, he said he was "disappointed" by the domestic policy bill that the president championed. He argued the massive bill would increase the budget deficit, putting him at odds with the president and his senior advisers.</p>.<p>Musk has said he will now devote more time to his private companies, including SpaceX and Tesla.</p>.<p>"I think I probably did spend a bit too much time on politics," Musk said in an interview this week with Ars Technica, a tech news outlet.</p>.<p>But Musk is not fully leaving Trump's orbit. He has told Trump's advisers this year that he would give $100 million to political groups controlled by the president's team before the 2026 midterms. As of this week, the money hasn't come in yet, according to people familiar with the matter.</p>.<p>And Trump had kind words for Musk when the president announced he would hold a joint news conference to say goodbye.</p>.<p>"This will be his last day, but not really, because he will, always, be with us, helping all the way," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "Elon is terrific! See you tomorrow at the White House."</p>