Donald Trump praised Elon Musk while announcing a joint press conference Friday that will take place amid tension with the billionaire DOGE head who is departing his government position.
In making the announcement, the president hinted that while Friday will officially mark his last day, he is expected to be a regular in Trump’s orbit.
“This will be his last day, but not really, because he will, always, be with us, helping all the way,” Trump wrote amicably on Truth Social. “Elon is terrific! See you tomorrow at the White House.”
Trump’s words echoed that of Secretary of Commerce, Howard Lutnick, who expressed a similar rosy outlook Thursday night.
“I know Elon is still very very close to the President,” he said on Fox News’ The Ingraham Angle, “and I think he’s going to stay exactly there.”
The Oval Office gathering comes as Musk has publicly distanced himself from a major piece of legislation to be considered by the Republican-controlled Senate: Trump’s so-called “Big, Beautiful Bill.”
The legislation, which passed the House by a single vote, would curtail the effectiveness of DOGE’s work over the last few months, Musk worried.
“I was disappointed to see the massive spending bill, frankly, which increases the budget deficit, not just decreases it, and undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing,” Musk told CBS Sunday Morning in a preview released earlier this week.
Musk’s Tesla opposes the bill as well, warning that an end to certain energy tax credits would “threaten America’s energy independence and the reliability of our grid.”
Musk had a back-and-forth with White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller about the bill this week, with Miller claiming that DOGE’s cuts couldn’t be codified.
“You cannot cut discretionary spending (only mandatory) in a reconciliation bill. So DOGE cuts would have to be done through what is known as a rescissions package or an appropriations bill,” he wrote on X.
The bill’s fate in the Senate remains uncertain, with some Republican calling for more cuts.
In addition to the budget proposal, Musk caused a stir last month when he objected to the president’s sweeping tariffs, which he said would harm Tesla manufacturing.
He and others in the administration, like Miller, also differed when it came to visas for highly-skilled workers, with Musk opposing a clamp-down.
Yet Musk’s departure was on “good terms,” and the X owner is “still friends with the president,” a senior Trump administration official told CBS.
“This isn’t a separation, but just a return to the private sector for Musk,” the person added. “He will continue to be a friend to the president, and we can characterize that as an ‘adviser.’”
Musk’s status as a special government employee, which began January 20, lasted 130 days.
