The president made the remarks during a ceremony in which the White House signed an executive order requiring greater scrutiny of concert ticket resellers. At the same time, public concerns about the chaos and instability caused by DOGE are growing, and the once unstoppable Tesla appears to be heading for a hard landing.
Musk is classified as a temporary government employee and will serve at the White House for 130 days. According to this provision, his term will end at the end of May. But a White House official told POLITICO in February that there was no end in sight for his time with Trump and that he was "here to stay."
Since joining the administration, Musk has — in his own words — made sweeping changes to the federal government workforce, including moves to eliminate agencies like the U.S. Agency for International Development and the U.S. Institute of Peace. However, the move is unpopular, with a recent Quinnipiac University poll showing more than half of voters saying the billionaire and DOGE are hurting the country.
Trump told reporters at the White House that DOGE's influence will endure because Cabinet members and agency heads have "gained a great education" from the experience. "One day ministers will be able to do the job."
Meanwhile, Tesla is experiencing major turmoil. The outrage over Musk has made Tesla's electric vehicles increasingly unpopular with consumers who once flocked to them, and global sales of its electric vehicles are plummeting. The company's shares plunged 36% in the first quarter.
Musk appeared to prepare for his departure in 130 days in an interview with Fox News last week, saying: "I think we're going to do most of the work we need to do to reduce the $1 trillion deficit within that time frame."
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