President Trump and Elon Musk appeared together one last time in the Oval Office on Friday, marking the exit of the world’s richest man from his frontline political role.

Time was up for Musk because of his status as a special government employee – a categorization that triggers few disclosure requirements but also caps the duration of service.

Musk’s time spearheading the quasi-official Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has been enormously controversial. It has also hurt Musk’s business interests, particularly in relation to Tesla, which has seen falling sales.

Here are the five main takeaways from the Trump-Musk meeting.

The “goodbye” is less than total

Musk raised eyebrows in recent days when he voiced criticism of the huge budget bill that is wending its way through Congress.

Conversely, plenty of Republicans inside and outside Trump’s orbit have tired of the downsides of dealing with the fractious businessman.

But on Friday, both Trump and Musk were at pains to emphasize there was no breach in their relationship, nor was their bond dissolving.

At times, the display of closeness felt a bit unctuous, as when Musk praised Trump for his gold-heavy interior design makeover of the Oval Office. Musk said Trump had brought “majesty” to the famous room.

On a more serious and central issue, Musk insisted “this is not the end of DOGE but really the beginning.”

He added, “I’ll continue to be visiting here, and be a friend and advisor to the president.”

© The Hill