My friend Musk has done a fantastic job, says Trump – Key updates from joint address

US President Donald Trump and Elon Musk addressed the media on Friday on the “terrific” South African-born billionaire’s final day on the so-referred to as Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).Musk, who has served as the pinnacle of the DOGE for the reason that begin of Trump’s second time period in January, has stepped down from his function in Washington.In the press convention, US President Trump hailed Musk and mentioned, “My friend has done a fantastic job.”Here are key quotes from the press convention:The presser kicked off with President Trump praising Musk, saying he had done an “excellent job.”Trump then remarked, “Our government can be a bit unpleasant sometimes,” to which Musk replied, “Yes, occasionally.”“Today its about a man named Elon, one of the greatest innovaters the world has ever produced. He has worked tirelessly leading the most sweeping and consequential government reform programme in generations,” Trump mentioned whereas addressing the media.Trump mentioned Elon Musk and his staff on the DOGE have found “things that are unbelievably stupid and unbelievably bad.”At the press convention, the US president mentioned Musk has made a “colossal change” in how issues are being done in Washington. “The mindset in the senior ranks in every federal department has really changed,” Trump mentioned.Musk indicators outElon Musk’s brief however explosive tenure in Washington got here to an finish on Friday. Musk departs after simply 4 months on the helm of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a unit created to slash federal waste however which has since drawn fierce criticism for its aggressive cuts and chaotic strategies.Musk’s departure marks the tip of a turbulent chapter within the Trump administration. Once seen as Trump’s ideological companion, he arrived in Washington earlier this yr with a chainsaw actually and figuratively pledging to chop $2 trillion from federal spending. Instead, watchdogs estimate his actual financial savings amounted to simply $12 billion, with The Atlantic pegging it nearer to $2 billion.His model, rooted in Silicon Valley’s mantra of “move fast and break things,” proved jarring in a capital ruled by paperwork and political compromise. DOGE slashed 1000’s of jobs, shuttered departments like USAID, and even gutted scientific groups on the FDA and EPA. But the backlash was swift, lawsuits piled up, companies rehired laid-off workers, and humanitarian penalties mounted overseas.Behind the scenes, Musk’s relationships contained in the administration deteriorated. He clashed publicly with prime officers, together with shouting matches with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. His frustration boiled over in current interviews, the place he criticised Trump’s new spending invoice and hinted at his rising disillusionment.Meanwhile, his companies floundered. Tesla confronted slumping gross sales and protests, whereas SpaceX suffered a number of failed launches. Shareholders demanded his return, urging him to refocus.