By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
WASHINGTON (Worthy News) – Billionaire Elon Musk’s time in the administration of U.S. President Donald J. Trump ended Friday with questions raised about how effective his slashing of government expenditure had been.
Musk arrived in government promising to slash spending by $2 trillion. Even by his own estimations, he falls more than $1.8trillion short of that target.
And critics say the president’s new “Big Beautiful Bill“ is set to add $2.3 trillion to the deficit. The bill has upset Musk, prompting the president to promise more cuts.
Yet, at a farewell conference in the Oval Office, Musk defended the work of his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Musk insisted that DOGE will continue to “relentlessly” seek $1 trillion in reductions, half of what he initially pledged.
That will require more work, as according to its website, DOGE had saved the US government $175 billion as of May 29.
MORE SAVINGS AHEAD?
Critics say only $61.5 billion of savings was publicly itemized, and documents provided evidence of how the savings were achieved for about $32.5 billion.
Yet that is better than no savings at all, argue Musk fans. And, “he is not really leaving,” Trump told reporters of Musk. “It’s his baby,” Trump added, referring to DOGE.
Musk is “going to be back and forth…I think he’s going to be doing a lot of things,” Trump stressed.
He has faced significant challenges, including his electric car company, Tesla, facing its worst quarterly sales performance in the first quarter of 2025.
The company’s sales dropped by 13 percent compared to the first quarter of 2024, at least in part due to protests over Musk’s links to Trump.
However, questions have also been raised about the way the wealthiest man in the world deals with stress amid reliable reports about drug usage even before Musk’s DOGE adventure took off like a rocket of his SpaceX company.
DRUG USE QUESTIONED
Musk was asked about a New York Times report this week that suggested he was using drugs heavily during Trump’s 2024 campaign.
After cutting off the reporter before he could finish the question, Musk cited a recent judge’s decision that Trump can proceed with a defamation case against the Washington Post and New York Times newspapers for their reporting on alleged connections between Trump’s 2016 campaign and Russia.
“That New York Times?” Musk asked. “Let’s move on.”
Additionally, Musk was asked why he appeared to have a bruised eye.
“I wasn’t anywhere near France,” Musk joked, referring to a recent incident between French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigette, who appeared to hit her husband’s face.
Musk explained his injury by saying he had told his five-year-old son, X Æ A-12 – known as X – to punch him in the face.
Trump was asked whether he had any marital advice for the French president as a world leader to another. “Make sure the door remains closed,” Trump answered.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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