Trump Gushes Over Elon Musk as 'Patriot' and 'Brilliant Guy' Amid DOGE Departure

Elon Musk might be stepping back from his role at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), but that hasn’t stopped President Donald Trump from rolling out the red carpet of compliments.

During an executive order signing in the Oval Office on Wednesday, Trump didn’t hold back his admiration for Musk, describing the tech titan as an "incredible… brilliant guy" and a "tremendous help both in the campaign, and in what he's done with DOGE." Not many can say they’ve gotten such high praise from the president while also being roasted online for their tweets—Musk truly lives in a galaxy of his own.

DOGE, which launched in 2025, has been one of the signature pieces of Trump’s second-term playbook, aiming to slash government waste and inject some Silicon Valley hustle into the lumbering halls of federal agencies. Musk has been an informal advisor throughout the project, attracting both attention and plenty of critics. The idea of Musk, master of rockets and memes, streamlining government—well, that’s about as on-brand for 2025 as it gets.

When pressed by a reporter, Trump defended Musk and his company Tesla against what he called unfair treatment. "They took it out on Tesla, and I just thought it was so unfair because he's trying to help the country, but he has helped the country… He didn't need to do this. He did it," Trump said with characteristic flair.

The praise comes at a crunchy time for Musk and Tesla. Tensions have recently flared, including a firebombing at a Kansas City Tesla dealership that caused over $200,000 in damage. Meanwhile, in Europe, a Tesla executive nixed a Rome appearance over security concerns, and Berlin’s gigafactory has seen ongoing protests. Who knew electric cars could spark so much drama?

Trump also gave a nod to Musk’s space exploits with SpaceX, marveling at the sight of rockets that "go up and come back and land in the same gantry"—a bit of sci-fi magic that only Musk seems to have pulled off. Beyond rockets, Trump praised Musk’s broad impact, saying, "He's a great patriot… he makes a great product… it’s a great car. It’s [a] great everything. Starlink is great. What he does is good. He’s doing medical things that are amazing." That’s a lot of greatness, even by Trump standards.

Trump wrapped things up by expressing hope that Musk would remain involved in government reform, even as Musk refocuses on his business empire. "I told him… whenever you’re ready, I’d like to keep him for a long time." Talk about a presidential job offer you can’t refuse.

Despite all this mutual admiration, a recent poll shows Americans are split: 49% think DOGE will actually make government more efficient, but 52% still aren’t convinced the Trump administration has managed federal operations all that well—a number that hasn’t budged since 2017. At least some things never change, right?