After 130 days at the head of the agency in charge of reducing federal expenditure, a position that leaves in the midst of a growing distancing with President Donald Trump and with the aim of focusing again on his companies.
Despite recent differences, Trump He said goodbye to Musk by qualifying him as “One of the world’s largest business leaders“, while the richest man in the world said he will continue to visit the president, whom he defined as a” friend. “
These are the most prominent moments of the brief and controversial passage through the Government of Musk, CEO of Tesla and Spacex and owner of the social network X.
1. Nazi greeting?
Musk was one of the most commented figures since the day of Trump’s investiture. During the ceremony, on January 20, at the end of a speech in which he spoke about the future arrival of man to Mars he raised his arm to the sky in a gesture that many compared to the Nazi greeting.
The businessman, a sympathizer of the German extreme right -wing party alternative for Germany (AFD), sharply denied those accusations and explained that it was “a strange gesture in a moment of enthusiasm, not a Nazi greeting.”
Elon Musk, during the ceremony, on January 20 / Angela Weiss / AFP
2. Milei’s chainsaw
The tycoon was appointed by Trump to lead the newly created government efficiency department (Doge), with the mission of drastically reducing public spending and, therefore, the Argentine president, Javier Milei, gave him a chainsaw during the CPAC conservative summit, as a symbol of support to his crusade against the “waste.”
Although Musk marked the objective of saving a billion dollars, then reduced the goal to 150,000 million.
The magnate Elon Musk (i) with a chainsaw given by the president of Argentina, Javier Milei (D), during the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC, in English). / Jose Luis Magana / AP
3. What did you do this week?
At the head of the Doge, Musk promoted the closure of federal agencies and established a weekly evaluation system: it required public employees to send an email detailing their achievements of the week to justify their permanence.
The measure generated controversy from the beginning. Several departments recommended that their workers ignore the emails or respond them voluntarily and in the most general possible way to protect confidential data.
4. The White House, a Tesla dealership
In March, Trump and Musk turned the southern porch of the White House into an exhibition of Tesla cars, deploying five models as part of an advertising strategy to improve the image of the entrepreneur, questioned by his role in the Doge.
During the event, Trump hit the body of a cybertruck when Musk said it was “bulletproof” and the scene culminated with the president uploaded to a red model, which he said he had bought, although he later confessed that he did not understand the dashboard: “It’s all computer.”
Elon Musk and Donald Trump next to a cybertruck tesla / Mandel ngan / afp
5. With the child in tow
Musk, who often alerts about the demographic decline in Western countries, surprised several times by attending official acts accompanied by his son X Æ A-12, five years old. For some critics, the presence of the minor was an calculated attempt to humanize his public image.
One of the most viral moments occurred during a press conference in the Oval Office, when the child went low to Trump and seemed to ask him to shut up.
United States President Donald Trump observes Elon Musk, who holds his son X æ to four years, while serving the press in the White House / Alex Brandon / AP
6. Casual dress in the White House
Another very commented aspect was Musk’s dress during his stage as an official, since, in contrast to the usual protocol, he used to attend official meetings and acts with black shirts and caps with messages such as ‘Make America Great Again’, Trump’s motto.
Musk had permission to dress, as unlike the Ukrainian president, Volodimir Zelenski, who was very criticized for Trumpism for going to the oval office without a suit or tie.
Elon Musk, a UN ‘Meeting’ / Jim Watson / AFP
7. Criticisms of the Trump Fiscal Plan
Hours before announcing his departure from the Government, Musk expressed his frustration before the ambitious fiscal plan baptized by Trump as “great and beautiful bill”, with which he said he was “disappointed” because the public deficit increases and raises the expense, something that “undermines”, he said, his work in front of the doge to reduce the waste.
“A bill can be large or can be beautiful, but I don’t know if both can be,” he told CBS channel in an unusual criticism of the president. Before, Musk had loaded against the Tariff Policy of the Republican, asking for an exemption of taxes for the European Union and calling “idiot” one of Trump’s economic advisors.
