President Donald Trump contradicted the entire premise of his speech sending off tech billionaire Elon Musk from his role at the White House on Friday, by saying he wasn't truly going to be leaving.
"Elon's really not leaving," said Trump. "He's going to be back and forth I think, I have a feeling. It's his baby and he's going to be doing a lot of things. But Elon's service to America has been without comparison in modern history."
This lines up with a similar remark by Trump last night, in which he said Friday would be Musk's final day in his government role, "but not really."
Musk was the de facto leader of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) task force, which swiftly became controversial for accessing huge troves of federal data and spearheading mass purges of the civil service.
DOGE has had a negligible impact on the federal budget; however, a recent report suggested DOGE may be responsible for 300,000 deaths, mainly by freezing important U.S. foreign aid programs.
After facing a torrent of criticism, a decline in his public image, and making little headway on his goal of streamlining the federal government, Musk has said he wants to step back from politics for the time being.
