According to President Trump, Musk is "not really leaving" and will continue to be "back and forth" to the White House. "It's his baby," Trump said of Musk's work with Doge, short for the cost-cutting Department of Government Efficiency. Musk's departure comes 130 days after Trump returned to office, the maximum allowable through his status as a "special government employee". Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump praised Musk, who he credited with "tirelessly helping lead the most sweeping and consequential government reform programme in generations". "He's not really leaving," Trump said of Musk.