Elon Musk arrived in Washington, D.C., with high hopes. He left with a literal and reputational black eye.
President Donald Trump marked the end of Musk's tenure as a government employee with an event in the Oval Office May 30, where he thanked the billionaire for his work leading the Department of Government Efficiency and gave him a golden key.
“Elon’s delivered a colossal change in the old ways of doing business in Washington,” Trump declared.
The warm sendoff came after Musk struggled to unlock cost savings in the federal government, delivering far less than what he promised. He leaves Washington D.C. a much more polarizing figure, the subject of intense criticism and protests that have dinged his business empire.
Musk showed up in the Oval Office dressed all in black, from his DOGE hat to his t-shirt and blazer. He also had a black eye given to him by his young son.
Since the White House press office selected reporters from five pro-Trump, partisan news outlets to ask...
