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Topics: Donald Trump, Elon Musk, News, US News, Politics
Gerrard Kaonga
Topics: Donald Trump, Elon Musk, News, US News, Politics
Elon Musk’s time in the Trump administration has come to a close as quickly as it came and there were 5 big takeaways from his final White House press conference.
Elon Musk has been a massive public figure for years but things pretty much went into overdrive when he became a very outspoken supporter of Donald Trump and his bid for the White House.
Things went a step further beyond when he was welcomed into the Trump administration as the DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) chief.
Musk had made it clear he would be stepping down from the role last week, and this comes as he faced increased scrutiny from those at Tesla for not giving the business enough of his attention.
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Here are some of the big takeaways from the his farewell press conference.
While Musk is leaving DOGE, he insisted that the work the department has been doing will continue.
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Speaking at the White House, he said: “My time as a special government employee necessarily had to end, it was a limited-time thing.”
Musk added that DOGE was now a ‘way of life [that is] "permeating throughout the government."
Musk also said he will continue to consult with Trump with the president adding: “Elon’s really not leaving, he’s going to be back and forth… it’s his baby.”
Musk has faced a hefty amount of criticism from all sides since becoming rather outspoken and supportive of Trump which has hurt his reputation.
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This has seeped out into his business ventures as well as people have taken to protesting his Tesla cars. But the billionaire appeared to have a literal black eye during the conference and Musk had to eventually explain.
Musk claimed the bruise came from his five-year-old son during some rough play, telling to reporter: " I was just horsing around with little X, and I said punch me in the face, and he did.
"It turns out even a five-year-old punching you in the face, accidentally, it bruises up."
While rumors and speculation constantly follow all public figures, Musk has faced his fare share of them.
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During the conference he was asked about a New York Times report that alleges during his time supporting Trump on the campaign trail, Musk consumed multiple drugs that went ‘well beyond occasional use.’
It also raised the question as to whether Musk had been taking a cocktail of drugs while working in the White House with DOGE.
However, before a reporter could even question Musk about their latest report, he cut them off and dismissed the New York Times, noting their reports of alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election.
Musk mocked the outlet and simply said: ‘Let's move on.”
Donald Trump briefly commented about the incident that dominated headlines from a brief video of the French President.
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Macron’s wife, Brigitte Macron, apparently shoved the president in his face right as plane doors were opening and video footage of this moment caused a serious stir.
Trump appeared to note make such a big deal out of the incident simply saying: “He's fine too. They're fine. They're two really good people I know them very well."
President Trump was also asked about the ongoing trial of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs and his previous relationship with the rapper/producer.
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Combs, 55, is accused of racketeering and sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, among other charges - all of which he has denied and has pleaded not guilty.
Trump did not rule out the possibility of a pardon, as he said: "Nobody's asked. But I know people are thinking about it. I know they're thinking about it. I think some people have been very close to asking.
"First of all, I'd look at what's happening, and I haven't been watching it too closely, although it's certainly getting a lot of coverage. I haven't seen him. I haven't spoken to him in years."
He closed by saying he would have to look at the facts and see if Diddy was mistreated before he could weigh in about potential pardons.