President Trump on Monday said he expects Elon Musk will eventually return to running his companies after his work overhauling the federal government.
A reporter noted that Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, is a special government employee, which means he can only work for 130 days in his role. When asked if he wants Musk to stay longer, Trump said he will want to return to his companies.
“I think he’s amazing but I also think he’s got a big company to run. At some point he’s going to be going back. He wants to,” Trump said. “I’d keep him as long as I can keep him. He’s a very talented guy.”
“At some point, Elon’s going to want to go back to his company,” he added, arguing that it's “terrible” how Musk has been treated in the public sphere.
Musk has been working to improve the image of his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) after becoming a boogeyman for the administration due to his cost-cutting push. Teslas have been vandalized and the company's stock has plummeted, while the White House and Trump have gone to bat for the company.
“A lot of people are buying Teslas, I think. And I hope they are,” Trump said on Monday.
The president was asked what will happen to DOGE once Musk leaves his role at the White House, and he said Cabinet secretaries have learned from the team.
“A lot of these people working with DOGE are these secretaries, the heads of the various agencies, and they’ve learned a lot and they’re dealing with the DOGE people. I think some of them may try to keep the DOGE people with them, but at a certain point, it will end,” he said. “There will be a point at which the secretaries will be able to do this work.”
Musk was asked on Fox News’s “Special Report” with Bret Baier last week about the 130 day cutoff for special employees, and he said he thinks he can accomplish his goals of cutting waste in the government in that time frame.
During that interview, Musk also claimed he is being careful and compassionate with his overhaul of the federal government, amid mounting criticism over his past statements on social media and emails to federal workers.
