Elon Musk has further shown he is retreating from President Donald Trump’s administration, and said it is an honor to work with Trump’s cabinet at today’s White House meeting.
Musk told investors last week on a return call to Tesla in May, and was widely expected to stop most of the government’s work by the end of this month.
“You’ve been treated unfairly, but the majority of people in this country really respect and appreciate you. This whole room can be very strong and you can really be a huge help,” Trump told Musk. “You’re invited to stay as long as you want. At some point, he wants to go back to his car.”
The Cabinet praised Musk. Musk said he cut $160 billion from the federal government. But he’s been walking it in the last few months and said $1 trillion in January would be “epical results.”
“There’s a lot of stuff going on, and that number can double and even triple,” Trump said.
The mask wore two Trump branded hats at the meeting and a red “American Bay” hat. The second was Dodge’s hat.
“Eron, I love double hats. He’s the only person who can do it and get away with it,” Trump said.
“Well, President, you know they say I’m wearing lots of hats,” Musk said, laughing as a member of the cabinet.
Today, the New York Post reported that Musk is not working on the White House campus. In an interview with the post, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wills said:
Trump has repeatedly admitted that at some point he needs to go back to running some of his companies. In early April, Vance told Fox & Friends that Musk will remain friends and advisors, even after special government officials have ended.
But behind the scenes there was debate between Musk and other members of the Cabinet. Earlier this month, a cry was reported between Treasury Secretary Scott Bescent and the mask. Musk was also entangled with Secretary of State Marco Rubio over the cut at the State Department.