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Herald Sun
a day ago
- Business
- Herald Sun
Elon Musk's rocket-fueled ride with Trump flames out
Don't miss out on the headlines from Breaking News. Followed categories will be added to My News. Elon Musk stormed into US politics as President Donald Trump's chainsaw-brandishing sidekick. Four turbulent months later it's the tech tycoon himself on the chopping block. Trump hailed Musk as "terrific" as he announced that they would hold a joint press conference on Friday as the South African-born magnate leaves the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). "This will be his last day, but not really, because he will, always, be with us, helping all the way," Trump said on his Truth Social network on Thursday. But the warm words could not hide the open frustrations that Musk, the world's richest man, had expressed in recent weeks about his controversial cost-cutting role for the world's most powerful man. Once a fixture at the Republican president's side, dressed in t-shirts and MAGA baseball caps, Musk had shown growing disillusionment with the obstacles faced by DOGE even as it cut a brutal swath through the US bureaucracy. He leaves far short of his original goal of saving $2 trillion dollars, with The Atlantic magazine calculating he saved just one thousandth of that, despite tens of thousands of people losing their jobs. Instead he will focus on his Space X and Tesla businesses, as well as his goal of colonizing Mars. - Rocket-like rise - It was all very different at first, as the 53-year-old Musk rose through Trump's orbit as rapidly as one of his rockets -- though they have been known to blow up now and again. Musk was the biggest donor to Trump's 2024 election campaign and the pair bonded over right-wing politics and a desire to root out what they believed was a wasteful "deep state." DOGE was jokingly named after a "memecoin," but it was no joke. Young tech wizards who slept in the White House complex shuttered whole government departments. Foreign countries found their aid cut off. A shades-wearing Musk brandished a chainsaw at a conservative event, boasting of how easy it was to save money, and separately made what appeared to be a Nazi salute. Soon the man critics dubbed the "co-president" was constantly at Trump's side. The tycoon appeared with his young son X on his shoulders during his first press conference in the Oval Office. He attended cabinet meetings. He and Trump rode on Air Force One and Marine One together. They watched cage fights together. Many wondered how long two such big egos could coexist. But Trump himself remained publicly loyal to the man he called a "genius." One day, the president even turned the White House into a pop-up Tesla dealership after protesters targeted Musk's electric car business. - 'Got into fights' - Yet the socially awkward tech magnate also struggled to get a grip on the realities of US politics. The beginning of the end "started (in) mid-March when there were several meetings in the Oval Office and in the cabinet room where basically Elon Musk got into fights," Elaine Kamarck of the Brookings Institution told AFP. One shouting match with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent could reportedly be heard throughout the West Wing. Musk publicly called Trump's trade advisor Peter Navarro "dumber than a sack of bricks." Nor did Musk's autocratic style and Silicon Valley creed of "move fast and break things" work well in Washington. The impact on Musk's businesses also began to hit home. A series of Space X launches ended in fiery failures, while Tesla shareholders fumed. Musk started musing about stepping back, saying that "DOGE is a way of life, like Buddhism" that would carry on without him. Finally, Musk showed the first signs of distance from Trump himself, saying he was "disappointed" in Trump's recent mega spending bill. Musk also said he would pull back from spending time on politics. The end came, appropriately, in a post by Musk on Wednesday on the X network, which he bought and then turned into a megaphone for his right-wing politics. But Musk's departure might not be the end of the story, said Kamarck. "I think they genuinely like each other and I think Musk has a lot of money that he can contribute to campaigns if he is so moved. I think there will be a continued relation," she said. dk-aue/sla Originally published as Elon Musk's rocket-fueled ride with Trump flames out
Business Insider
2 days ago
- Business
- Business Insider
Elon Musk tells the story behind his black eye
Elon Musk is no stranger to rolling with the punches — and a recent one apparently landed. Musk was sporting a black eye while standing next to President Donald Trump in the Oval Office on Friday. The bruise was visible beneath his DOGE hat, and the Tesla CEO was eventually asked about what happened. "I was just horsing around with Little X and I said, 'Go ahead, punch me in the face,'" Musk told reporters. "And he did. It turns out that even a five-year-old punching you in the face," Musk said before Trump interjected. "If you knew X, X could do it," the president added. X Æ A-Xii, Musk's oldest child with the singer Grimes, whose real name is Claire Boucher, has frequently been at his dad's side since Trump retook office. "Little X," as Musk calls him, has been in the Oval Office and on Capitol Hill. Reporters have also spotted Musk accompanying his child to Marine One, the presidential helicopter. Musk joked that he "was nowhere near France," a reference to the now-viral video of the interaction between France's first lady Brigitte Macron and French Prime Minister Emmanuel Macron. (Trump had been asked about the incident earlier during the extended Q&A with reporters.) Musk stood beside the president as Trump praised the world's richest man's work through the Department of Government Efficiency. Friday is Musk's last official day as a special government employee, and as a token of his appreciation, Trump gifted Musk a large key inside a wooden box. The White House has repeatedly said that Musk is not the formal leader of the DOGE office, however, the billionaire was its de facto head and most visible champion. Musk has grown close to Trump over the past year. He previously said that the president invited him to stay in the White House's famed "Lincoln bedroom." The billionaire has reached the end of his 130-day limit as a temporary government employee. Musk has said that he would return his focus to Tesla, the largest company in his sprawling portfolio.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Musk appears in Oval Office with black eye
Billionaire tech entrepreneur Elon Musk appeared in the Oval Office on Friday with a black eye, which he said was the result of his young son punching him in the face while they were 'horsing around.' Musk appeared alongside President Trump to mark his departure as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The Tesla CEO had a noticeable bruise on the corner of his right eye. He wore a black 'DOGE' hat and all-black outfit while standing next to Trump, who sat at the Resolute Desk. The Hill's Brett Samuels asked Musk what happened to his eye, and Musk responded that it was caused by his young son, X. 'I was just horsing around with little X and I said, 'Go ahead, punch me in the face.' And he did. Turns out even a 5-year-old punching you in the face actually is —,' Musk said. Trump replied, 'That was X that did that? X could do it. If you knew X, he could do it.' Musk then said X is currently with his mother. The young child made an appearance in the Oval Office in February and has also accompanied the president to Marine One. 'But, I didn't really feel much at the time, and then I guess it bruises up. But I was just horsing around with the kid,' he added. 'I didn't notice, actually,' Trump said. Musk earlier had acknowledged the black eye, telling reporters, 'I've got a little shiner here' and pointing to his right eye while laughing. His comment was prompted by a question to Trump about French President Emmanuel Macron, who was caught on a video apparently being hit in the face by his wife, first lady Brigitte Macron. The French president said they were 'joking around,' The New York Times reported. Trump said he spoke to Macron after the incident and that the first couple of France is 'fine.' 'He's fine, they're fine,' Trump said. 'I don't know what that was all about, but I know him very well, and they're fine.' Trump and Musk also fielded several questions from reporters during the Oval Office press conference, including about New York Times reporting on Musk's alleged drug use. Musk brushed off the question and bashed the outlet. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
What happened to Elon Musk's eye? The Tesla CEO said the bruise came from 'horsing around'
Elon Musk had a noticeably bruised eye during his last day at the White House. Asked about it, Musk said it had an innocuous source. "I was just horsing around with Little X," Musk told reporters when asked about his appearance. Elon Musk is no stranger to rolling with the punches — and a recent one apparently landed. Musk was sporting a black eye while standing next to President Donald Trump in the Oval Office on Friday. The bruise was visible beneath his DOGE hat, and the Tesla CEO was eventually asked about what happened. "I was just horsing around with Little X and I said, 'Go ahead, punch me in the face,'" Musk told reporters. "And he did. It turns out that even a five-year-old punching you in the face," Musk said before Trump interjected. "If you knew X, X could do it," the president added. X Æ A-Xii, Musk's oldest child with the singer Grimes, whose real name is Claire Boucher, has frequently been at his dad's side since Trump retook office. "Little X," as Musk calls him, has been in the Oval Office and on Capitol Hill. Reporters have also spotted Musk accompanying his child to Marine One, the presidential helicopter. Musk joked that he "was nowhere near France," a reference to the now-viral video of the interaction between France's first lady Brigitte Macron and French Prime Minister Emmanuel Macron. (Trump had been asked about the incident earlier during the extended Q&A with reporters.) Musk stood beside the president as Trump praised the world's richest man's work through the Department of Government Efficiency. Friday is Musk's last official day as a special government employee, and as a token of his appreciation, Trump gifted Musk a large key inside a wooden box. The White House has repeatedly said that Musk is not the formal leader of the DOGE office, however, the billionaire was its de facto head and most visible champion. Musk has grown close to Trump over the past year. He previously said that the president invited him to stay in the White House's famed "Lincoln bedroom." The billionaire has reached the end of his 130-day limit as a temporary government employee. Musk has said that he would return his focus to Tesla, the largest company in his sprawling portfolio. Read the original article on Business Insider
Business Insider
2 days ago
- Business
- Business Insider
What happened to Elon Musk's eye? The Tesla CEO said the bruise came from 'horsing around'
Elon Musk had a noticeably bruised eye during his last day at the White House. Asked about it, Musk said it had an innocuous source. "I was just horsing around with Little X," Musk told reporters when asked about his appearance. Elon Musk is no stranger to rolling with the punches — and a recent one apparently landed. Musk was sporting a black eye while standing next to President Donald Trump in the Oval Office on Friday. The bruise was visible beneath his DOGE hat, and the Tesla CEO was eventually asked about what happened. "I was just horsing around with Little X and I said, 'Go ahead, punch me in the face,'" Musk told reporters. "And he did. It turns out that even a five-year-old punching you in the face," Musk said before Trump interjected. "If you knew X, X could do it," the president added. X Æ A-Xii, Musk's oldest child with the singer Grimes, whose real name is Claire Boucher, has frequently been at his dad's side since Trump retook office. "Little X," as Musk calls him, has been in the Oval Office and on Capitol Hill. Reporters have also spotted Musk accompanying his child to Marine One, the presidential helicopter. Musk joked that he "was nowhere near France," a reference to the now-viral video of the interaction between France's first lady Brigitte Macron and French Prime Minister Emmanuel Macron. (Trump had been asked about the incident earlier during the extended Q&A with reporters.) Musk stood beside the president as Trump praised the world's richest man's work through the Department of Government Efficiency. Friday is Musk's last official day as a special government employee, and as a token of his appreciation, Trump gifted Musk a large key inside a wooden box. The White House has repeatedly said that Musk is not the formal leader of the DOGE office, however, the billionaire was its de facto head and most visible champion. Musk has grown close to Trump over the past year. He previously said that the president invited him to stay in the White House's famed "Lincoln bedroom." The billionaire has reached the end of his 130-day limit as a temporary government employee. Musk has said that he would return his focus to Tesla, the largest company in his sprawling portfolio.
