Trump Cabinet gives Musk a seemingly friendly send-off — at odds with his tumultuous tenure

Cabinet secretaries were largely complimentary of the billionaire, even applauding him at one point, despite past tensions.

At what might have been his last Cabinet meeting for the foreseeable future, billionaire presidential adviser Elon Musk donned two baseball caps, one stacked atop the other. The first, emblazoned with the name of his government-slashing “DOGE” agency, was covered by a red and white “GULF OF AMERICA” hat, which he had plucked from the table in the room. “He’s the only one who can do that and get away with it,” President Donald Trump joked, drawing hearty laughter from the leaders whose agencies Musk has cut. “Well, Mr. President, you know, they say I wear a lot of hats,” Musk quipped. The lighthearted mood appeared to disguise a tumultuous tenure for the Tesla leader turned “special government employee” tasked with making the government smaller and more efficient. In the same room where he was now being applauded in a sort-of send off ceremony, Musk had privately clashed with other Cabinet secretaries over his cuts. His departure comes as he is well short of his initial goal to cut $2 trillion from federal government spending. (He said at the Cabinet meeting Wednesday that he’d cut around $160 billion — though even that figure is disputed.) And his time in the administration has come at a personal cost. Tesla reported a 71% drop in net income last week — likely due to a combination of tariff issues and his controversial political role. The report prompted Musk to tell investors that he’s stepping away from his role at the Department of Government Efficiency to focus on the company. His dealerships and vehicles have also faced vandalism across the country.