Trump sends Musk out of White House with gold key as they discuss Diddy pardon, Macron slap and Tesla chief’s black eye | EUROtoday

After spending 130 days working to dismantle complete federal authorities businesses, firing tens of 1000’s of civil servants and sparking dozens of lawsuits over potential misuse of Americans’ private information, the world’s wealthiest man was rewarded with a gold-plated skeleton key that may be bought for almost $8,000 on eBay.

Seated on the iconic desk hewed from timbers harvested from H.M.S. ResolutePresident Donald Trump praised Elon Musk for his 4 months of labor main the “Department of Government Efficiency,” a task from which Musk is required to depart on account of his now-former standing as a Special Government Employee, which had let him work without spending a dime with out complying with any monetary disclosure guidelines however just for 130 days per yr.

He known as the Tesla and SpaceX CEO “one of the greatest business leaders and innovators the world has ever produced” and hailed him for having led what Trump known as “the most sweeping and consequential government reform program in generations.”

“Elon gave an incredible service. There’s nobody like him, and he had to go through the slings and the arrows, which is a shame, because he’s an incredible patriot. The good news is that 90% of the country knows that, and they appreciate it, and they really appreciate what he did,” he mentioned.

Trump then offered Musk with a trinket that dated again to the forty seventh president’s prior time period because the forty fifth President of the United States: A “Key to the White House.”

It was an oversize, gold-plated key in a wood presentation field, with an engraving of the Executive Mansion on the within of the lid.

Musk was not by any means the primary individual to be gifted with this Trumpian trinket. In his 2022 memoir Breaking HistoryTrump’s son-in-law and ex-senior adviser Jared Kushner recounted how he’d “whipped out” the identical present for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu throughout a September 2020 assembly within the Oval Office.

At the time, Trump known as it a “a special token of affection, given by myself and the First Lady to the Prime Minister and the First Lady of Israel.”

“And it’s a key — we call it a key to the White House. And it’s a key to our country and to our hearts,” he mentioned as he handed it over to Netanyahu.

Kushner wrote that Trump had informed Netanyahu that the important thing he gifted him was “the first key I’m giving to anyone” and claimed that it might grant the Israeli chief entry to the White House “even when I’m not president anymore.”

As he handed Musk the identical tchotchke almost 5 years later, Trump mentioned it was “a little special something” that he offers to “very special people” as “a presentation from our country.”

It’s not recognized how most of the souvenirs have been given out by Trump, however a search by The Independent revealed that similar objects have been listed on eBay, with two present listings displaying costs of $7,250 and $7,950. The public sale website RR Auction additionally reveals one other of them having bought for $3,670.

Musk, who wore a black “Make America Great Again” cap, a black go well with and a t-shirt with the phrases “The Dogefather” on it and appeared to go searching the Oval Office aimlessly as Trump spoke, accepted the field from the president as he informed reporters that his time within the administration “necessarily had to end” and had been “a limited time.”

But considerably paradoxically, he mentioned the DOGE group he put in place “will only grow stronger over time” and in contrast DOGE to “sort of Buddhism.”

“It’s like a way of life. So it is permeating throughout the government, and I’m confident that over time, we will see a trillion dollars of savings and reduction in a trillion dollars of waste,” he mentioned.

He added that he’ll “continue to be visiting” Washington “as a friend and adviser” to Trump and confused that he seemed ahead to being again within the Oval Office as he praised the president for his redecorating efforts, which have seen the enduring house tackle a distinctively gilded look via copious quantities of gold leaf on the partitions and ceiling.

Musk additionally sported a noticeable black eye throughout the press convention, and when a reporter requested him what had occurred to him, he blamed his younger son, X Æ A-12, who goes by “Little X.”

“I was horsing around with Little X, and I said ‘go ahead, punch me in the face. And he did,” he mentioned.

But the centibillionaire’s face wasn’t the one one which was mentioned throughout the hour-long session.

After he and Musk spoke, Trump took questions on a number of matters, together with one a couple of current incident involving French president Emmanuel Macron and his spouse, Brigitte, throughout which the French First Lady appeared to strike her husband as they had been exiting an plane earlier this week.

Asked whether or not he had any recommendation for his French counterpart, Trump — who has been married 3 times and divorced twice — replied: “Make sure the door remains closed.”

He added that he’d spoken with Macron lately and mentioned the French first couple was “fine.”

“They’re two really good people. I know him very well, and I don’t know what that was all about, but I know him very well, and they’re fine,” he mentioned.

The hour-long back-and-forth with reporters marked the formal finish of Musk’s time in authorities, throughout which his DOGE group was usually at odds with members of Trump’s cupboard and the rich GOP donor discovered himself on the outs with Trump after he donated thousands and thousands and made private appearances on behalf of a Wisconsin judicial candidate who misplaced badly regardless of his efforts.

Musk additionally appeared to interrupt with Trump over the president’s “Big Beautiful Bill” spending bundle, which doesn’t lock in any of the slashing and burning the billionaire and his DOGE group have performed throughout his time in authorities.

His said purpose because the (apparently casual) head of DOGE was to slash authorities spending and save American taxpayers cash. Before the inauguration, he claimed he might lower $1 trillion from the federal finances earlier than September 30 by ending “waste, fraud, and abuse” — already a downgrade from his $2 trillion promise on the marketing campaign path. He additional claimed that “most of the work” required to make this occur can be performed inside 130 days.

As of May 26, DOGE’s on-line “wall of receipts” touts estimated financial savings of $175bn for the reason that begin of Trump’s time period, or $1,086.96 per taxpayer. The drawback is that this determine could merely be nonsense.

But Trump wasn’t requested about Musk’s feedback about his spending bundle as he despatched off his erstwhile ally with the ersatz gold key.

He did, nevertheless, weigh in on the trial of hip-hop mogul Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, a former contestant on the president’s actuality tv present, who’s now within the dock on intercourse trafficking prices.

Asked whether or not he’d take into account a pardon for the disgraced musician, who he’d as soon as known as “a good friend,” Trump demurred by saying he hadn’t been watching the trial “too closely” whereas leaving the door open by promising to “look at what’s happening.”

“I haven’t seen him. I haven’t spoken to him in years. He used to really like me a lot, but I think when I ran for politics, he sort of that relationship busted up, from what I read,” Trump mentioned.

“I would certainly look at the facts if I think somebody was mistreated, whether they like me or don’t like me, it wouldn’t have any impact on me.”

Io Dodds contributed reporting from San Francisco