Trump praises Elon Musk as ‘patriot, a brilliant guy, and a friend of mine’ amid DOGE exit

Elon Musk might be alleviating off his function at the Department of Federal Government Performance (DOGE ), however President Donald Trump isn’t alleviating off his appreciation.

On Wednesday, Trump applauded Musk’s smarts and patriotism throughout an executive order finalizing in the Oval Workplace, brushing off critics and safeguarding the tech magnate’s deal with federal reform.

” He’s an extraordinary … dazzling guy,” Trump stated. “He was an incredible aid both in the project, and in what he’s made with DOGE.”

DOGE, introduced in 2025, has actually acted as a trademark of Trump’s second-term program to cut waste, improve federal companies, and use private-sector concepts to federal operations.

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Musk’s casual advisory function in the effort has actually drawn both attention and criticism.

In an exchange with a press reporter, Trump resolved what he referred to as unreasonable treatment of Musk and Tesla. “They took it out on Tesla, and I simply believed it was so unreasonable due to the fact that he’s attempting to assist the nation, however he has actually assisted the nation … He didn’t require to do this. He did it,” he stated.

Trump’s remarks came as stress have actually struck an all-time high for Musk’s electrical lorry business Tesla.

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Trump applauded Elon Musk after the tech magnate revealed he would quickly step far from his function with DOGE. ( Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

A Kansas City dealer was just recently firebombed, triggering over $200,000 in damage. In Europe, a Tesla executive canceled an arranged look in Rome over reported security risks. These events have actually happened along with continuous demonstrations at Tesla’s Berlin gigafactory.

Trump continued his appreciation, referencing Musk’s aerospace deal with SpaceX: “When you see those rockets increase and return and land in the very same gantry, no one else can do that however this guy. So he’s simply an extraordinary individual, and he’s a good friend of mine as a great individual too, as a really good individual.”

He likewise kept in mind Musk’s broad technological contributions. “He’s an excellent patriot … he makes an excellent item … it’s an excellent automobile. It’s [a] fantastic whatever. Starlink is fantastic. What he does is excellent. He’s doing medical things that are fantastic.”

Trump called Musk a “dazzling guy.” ( Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

Concluding his action, Trump stated he hoped Musk would continue to be included, even as he turns his attention back to his service empire.

” I informed him … whenever you’re all set, I want to keep him for a long period of time.”

A current Fox News survey reveals that while 49% of Americans believe DOGE will make the federal government more effective, 52% think the Trump administration has actually not been “qualified and efficient” in handling federal operations– a belief the same from 2017.