WASHINGTON – US President Donald Trump bid farewell to Elon Musk in the Oval Office on Friday, after the billionaire announced his decision to step back from his role at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

“I just want to say that Elon has worked tirelessly, helping lead the most sweeping and consequential government reform program in generations,” said Trump.

Trump credited Musk with “a colossal change in the old ways of doing business in Washington” and said some of his staff would remain in the administration.

“I look forward to continuing to be a friend and advisor to the president,” Musk told reporters after Trump handed a golden key as a gift.

Having spent approximately USD300 million to back Trump’s presidential campaign and other Republicans, Musk recently said that he plans to cut his political spending substantially because “I think I’ve done enough.”

In a Tuesday interview with CBS News, Elon Musk criticized Trump’s “One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act,” calling it a “massive spending bill” that would inflate the federal deficit and “undermine the work” of DOGE.

The legislation reportedly combines tax cuts with stricter immigration enforcement. PNA/Xinhua