Elon Musk bids farewell — type of — to Trump Cabinet, claims DOGE stored $160 billion

DOGE leader Elon Musk claimed Wednesday that his federal team of workers slashing initiative thus far has stored $160 billion — some distance lower than his unique projections — because the mega-billionaire Tesla CEO gave a type of farewell to President Donald Trump‘s Cabinet.

It’s “been an honor to work with your incredible Cabinet,” Musk informed Trump on the White House on Wednesday. “I would just like to say thank you to everyone, It was an honor to work with you, so thank you for everything.”

“A tremendous amount has been accomplished in the first 100 days,” Musk stated. “As everyone has said, it’s more than has been accomplished in any administration before. Ever. So this portends very well for what happens, for the rest of the administration.”

Musk stated closing week on a Tesla profits name that his time spent working the so-called Department of Government Efficiency will drop considerably starting in May, and that he plans to spend only a “day or two per week” at the executive effort.

The New York Post reported Tuesday that Musk used to be not understanding of the West Wing. But his DOGE lieutenants have been nonetheless running within the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, which is at the White House campus.

Trump informed Musk on Wednesday, “We all want to thank you for your help. You really have sacrificed a lot. You’ve been treated very unfairly.”

Musk then quipped, “Well, they like to burn my cars, which is not great,” regarding a spate of vandalism concentrated on Tesla cars and places since he started his DOGE program.

“But the vast majority of people in this country really respect and appreciate you, and this whole room can say that very strongly, you have really been a tremendous help,” Trump stated.

“And you know, you’re invited to stay as long as you want.”

Trump’s Cabinet secretaries and people within the room clapped at that remark.

When Trump stated that DOGE had “saved” $150 billion together with his projects to chop spending and cut back federal worker headcount, Musk chimed in, “$160 billion, but who’s counting?”

Musk closing fall stated that DOGE would slash “at least $2 trillion” from the federal funds.

But all over an interview in January, Musk downplayed that estimate.

“I think we’ll try for $2 trillion. I think that’s the best-case outcome,” Musk stated. “But I do think that you kind of have to have some overage. I think if we try for $2 trillion, we’ve got a good shot at getting 1,” he stated, that means $1 trillion.

But professionals say the quantity may well be some distance smaller than even the $160 billion determine Musk quoted.

The nonprofit Partnership for Public Service has estimated that DOGE-related “firings, re-hirings, lost productivity and paid leave of thousands of workers will cost upward of $135 billion this fiscal year,” The New York Times reported.

Musk stated in his Tesla profits name closing week that he would proceed paintings on DOGE “for as long as the president would like me to do so, and as long as it’s useful.”

“But starting next month, I’ll be allocating far more of my time to Tesla now that the major work of establishing the Department of Government Efficiency is done,” stated Musk.