Elon Musk, the billionaire CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has officially concluded his role as a special government employee, standing alongside President Trump in the Oval Office for what was portrayed as a final appearance. The extent of Musk’s future involvement with the administration remains uncertain.

The show of solidarity occurred despite Musk’s previous criticisms of President Trump’s policies and reports detailing clashes with presidential aides, as well as allegations of relying on drugs during his time as a government advisor.

“Nobody like him,” President Trump remarked about Musk at the White House. “He had to go through the slings and the arrows, which is a shame, because he’s an amazing patriot.”

President Trump added, “Many of the DOGE people, Elon, are staying behind. So they’re not leaving. And Elon’s really not leaving,” hinting at a continued relationship. “He’s going to be back and forth, I think, I have a feeling. It’s his baby.”

Musk lauded the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) team for reportedly saving $175 billion in government expenditure. However, this figure is under scrutiny, as the Treasury Department’s Bureau of the Fiscal Service documented an overall increase in federal spending during the same period.

“The DOGE team is doing an incredible job,” Musk stated. “I’ll continue to be visiting here, and be a friend and advisor to the president.”

Legal and Ethical Questions Surround Musk’s Role

The continuation of Musk’s advisory role could trigger legal challenges, given that his term as a special government employee-limited to 130 days-has expired.

“The DOGE team is doing an incredible job,” Musk said. “I’ll continue to be visiting here, and be a friend and advisor to the president.”

Fourteen states have filed a lawsuit alleging that Musk’s appointment circumvented the Senate confirmation process, effectively granting him undue influence within the Trump administration.

A federal judge has already stated that Musk’s initial appointment was questionable,noting that he “occupies a continuing position” and “exercises important authority,” thus allowing the states’ lawsuit to proceed and potentially challenge the legality of his work with DOGE.

Prior to his departure,Musk indicated plans to reduce his political spending and criticized the Trump administration and congressional Republicans for fiscal policies that could increase the national deficit,undermining DOGE’s objectives.

Controversies and Company Setbacks

Musk’s exit follows reports about his alleged heavy use of ketamine and a Wall Street Journal article detailing his efforts to prevent President Trump from collaborating with OpenAI on artificial intelligence projects in the Middle East.

During his time in government, Musk’s companies faced significant challenges. spacex encountered delays in meeting critical milestones for its Starship program, vital for lunar missions and Musk’s ambitions for Mars. Tesla experienced a 71% drop in profits in the first quarter of 2025,and its stock value decreased by 50% from its peak in December.

“I think I probably did spend a bit too much time on politics,” Musk acknowledged in an interview with Ars Technica. He added, “It’s not like I left the companies.It was just relative time allocation that probably was a little too high on the government side, and I’ve reduced that significantly in recent weeks.”