Tinshui Yeung
Live reporter

Today’s Oval Office news conference was about Elon Musk’s last hurrah as the government’s special employee – the man behind the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge).

This farewell comes just a day after Musk said he was "disappointed" with Trump’s budget bill, which includes multi-trillion dollars tax breaks and a boost to defence spending. That bill still needs to pass the Senate.

But there were no fireworks today – the mood was positively rosy. Trump showered Musk with praise, saying he did a "fantastic job" and hailing Doge's efforts as causing a "colossal change" in Washington.

To top it off, Trump handed Musk a large golden key – something he says he only gives to "special people".

Musk says he’ll keep advising the president. Trump reiterated that point too.

Musk’s black eye – which a reporter asked about – was one of the more intriguing bits of news to come out of the event. The billionaire says it was caused by his son.

We’re wrapping up our live coverage for today. If you’re curious about how Musk shook things up at the White House, check out our piece on the five ways he made his mark.

Thanks for joining us.

Kayla Epstein
US reporter

One of the most curious subplots of Musk's stint in Washington was the long-running question of who was technically in charge of Doge.

For weeks, the White House maintained that Musk was just a special advisor and not Doge's "administrator," though Musk was, obviously, the initiative's public face.

Officially giving him that job would have Constitutional implications - and come with enhanced ethics requirements and scrutiny.

As lawsuit after lawsuit against Doge's actions racked up, federal judges and reporters started asking: who is actually running Doge? Government lawyers struggled to answer that question before judges, or gave contradictory responses in different cases. Different names popped up here and there.

In late February, the White House announced that a US Doge Service employee named Amy Gleason was actually the administrator of Doge.

But over Musk's 130-day sprint in Washington, we heard little from Gleason and a great deal from Musk. In fact, when the Doge team sat down with Fox News in late March, Musk was front and centre, and Gleason nowhere to be seen.

The question continues to pop up in court battles. But in today's Oval Office meeting, Trump seemed more certain about Musk's relationship to Doge.

"It's his baby," the president said.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House

While Musk's time in government lasted little more than four months, his work with Doge upended the federal government and had an impact not just in the halls of power in Washington - but around the world.

Let's take a look at some of the ways Musk has left a mark:

Taking a chainsaw to federal spending: Musk began with an initial target of cutting "at least $2 trillion" of government spending. This then shifted to $1tn, and ultimately $150bn.

Doge claims to have saved $175bn through a combination of asset sales, lease and grant cancellations, "fraud and improper payment deletion", regulatory savings and a 260,000-person reduction from the 2.3 million-strong federal workforce. A BBC analysis of those figures, however, found that evidence is sometimes lacking.

Overseas spending: More than 80% of the US Agency for International Development's (USAID's) programmes were eliminated following a six-week review by Doge.

Misinformation: Musk spread an unfounded internet theory that US gold reserves had quietly been stolen from Fort Knox in Kentucky. More recently, he spread widely discredited rumours that the white Afrikaner population of South Africa is facing "genocide" in their home country.

Image source, Reuters

Kayla Epstein
US reporter

Musk might be departing Washington, but he will leave behind a group of staffers who came to DC ready to help him accomplish his mission to slash federal spending and reduce the size of the government.

In the first months of the Trump administration, Doge staffers deployed across various federal agencies. They gained access to sensitive government data, demanded employees send in self-evaluation emails, and cut staff through administrative leave and made outright terminations.

Trump said today that many of these staffers will remain. Many worked behind the scenes. And none achieved the kind of name recognition that Musk commanded.

Their work will likely continue, and possibly receive less attention without the lightning rod that is Musk - who drew scrutiny to the operation.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House

Image source, EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Donald Trump and Elon Musk's press conference in the Oval Office lasted about an hour.

From a news perspective, very little new information emerged from the session.

While Trump delivered remarks on the work of Musk and Doge - as well as about other topics, including foreign students, Harvard and the war in Ukraine - most of his comments were familiar, and ones that we've heard frequently.

What was notable was the lack of public friction between the two men.

Some US media outlets had speculated that Musk's departure from the White House came amid rising tensions between him and the president and other members of the cabinet - particularly after Musk said he was "disappointed" in Trump's "big, beautiful bill".

If that is, in fact, the case, none of it was on display today - and for the White House, perhaps that was the point of the occasion.

A lot of Doge's claims have to be taken on trustpublished at 20:10 British Summer Time 30 May

20:10 BST 30 May

Gary O'Donoghue
Chief North America correspondent, reporting from the White House

Doge’s published figure says $175bn (£130bn) in savings were found.

The BBC’s Verify team has looked into this in detail - less than half of the savings are itemised. Only about a quarter of that figure has links to specific documents, like receipts.

A lot of that is going to have to be taken on trust. It also doesn’t take into account what the costs of doing their work would be. Doge has had to go to court a lot, and has rehired people it originally fired.

Elon Musk and Donald Trump say the work of Doge will continue. Musk says he thought the $2tn (£1.5tn) target would be achievable "over time" - but how much time, we don’t know.

There have been many criticisms of how Washington DC has operated over the years, but we’ll see whether the culture has changed in the wake of Doge.

All governments go into power looking for ways to save money, to cut waste that shouldn’t be spent. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that, that’s what taxpayers demand and should expect.

But a lot of people feel there has been a lot of collateral damage. People also feel that there are things that have been undone that will have real-world consequences.

Kayla Epstein
US reporter

Though Musk is stepping back, this is likely not the end of the Trump administration's larger project to dramatically reshape the federal government.

Right now, a large share of federal government jobs are deliberately nonpartisan, and individuals stay put even as presidents and political parties come in and out of power.

Musk and Doge's work pushed out thousands of these federal employees across dozens of agencies. As he exits, the administration is issuing new guidance for hiring going forward, with potentially big implications.

The Office of Personnel Management - basically, the federal government's human resources - has outlined a new "merit hiring plan".

The new policy bars government hiring managers from using diversity, equity, and inclusion policies and to cease using statistics on race, sex, or other underrepresented groups in their workplace.

It will also require job candidates to write short essays on four different questions, including, "How would you help advance the President’s Executive Orders and policy priorities in this role?"

Max Stier, president and CEO of the Partnership for Public Service, feared this would create a system that put "loyalty" to Trump "above all else".

Some aspects of the plan, like a requirement to shorten the hiring process to 80 days, could win bipartisan support. But, Stier said, Doge had slashed many of the staff needed to hire this swiftly.

The press conference has now wrapped up. Just before it did, a reporter asked about Trump’s tariffs, which could also impact Elon Musk’s Tesla.

"Well, he’s going to end up building this whole car here," Trump said.

Trump then repeated his point that if people build cars in the US, he will give them "a little leeway".

"We want Americans to buy American built cars," he says.

Trump says he wants international students in the US, but just not ones who he says are "causing trouble".

He says the US government gives Harvard University about $5 billion and says the government is finding new money to cut each time Harvard sues to stop the freezing of funds.

He turns to Musk and says this was not a Doge initiative, but a "Trump thing".

Trump says he wants that money to be given trade schools.

Read more: Judge blocks Trump's effort to restrict foreign students at Harvard - for now

Gary O'Donoghue
Chief North America correspondent, reporting from the White House

Turns out Elon Musk's black eye is down to his five-year-old son, X.

It seems the world's richest person - one of the smartest men around according to some - asked his son to punch him.

"Nothing like a five-year old punching you in the face," he told reporters.

The president said he hadn't noticed it - but it's clear as day.

Lesson learned perhaps: don't invite anyone to punch you in the face, they just might do it.

The press conference has turned into a question-and- answer session with the president.

Trump speaks about the appeal court ruling yesterday that will allow his tariffs plan to go ahead for now while the issue works through the courts.

He says the government has to act fast and be nimble.

Trump is also asked why he thinks Musk, and the work he has done, has become so politicised.

But president references previous work Musk has done in the private sector and talks of the "different companies" he has set up.

He references internet services company Starlink and the work done in North Carolina which "saved a lot of lives".

It appears Trump is referencing Hurricane Helene here.

For context: In September 2024, during the Biden administration, Trump claimed that a phone call to Musk prompted the deployment of Starlink Systems to North Carolina in the wake of Hurricane Helene. The White House later said that the deployments were already happening following an arrangement between the administration and the White House - and sent a press release stating the same.

Taking more questions from press, Musk says the president may choose to extend the official end date of Doge, which is July of next year.

He also claims the advisory board has become like a "bogeyman" for federal cuts.

"If there were any cuts anywhere, people would assume that was done by Doge," he said.

Gary O'Donoghue
Chief North America correspondent, reporting from the White House

Image source, Getty Images

Interesting how Elon Musk is pulling back from his previous criticism of Congress and others, over difficulties he faced doing the work of Doge.

Now he's saying it's "mostly just hard work" when asked who was to blame for standing in his way.

He says the trillion dollars of savings will happen, but with the key caveat that it will take place "over time". It's not clear just how much time.

Musk has achieved one key thing - most people who leave the Trump orbit do so after a row or after incurring the president's wrath.

Musk is getting a whole heap of praise - and a gold key in a box, so that's something.

Musk is asked what his future advisory role with Doge would look like.

He says he expects to continue to provide advice "whenever the President would like".

"I hope so," Trump replies.

Musk says if there's anything Trump wants him to do, he's "at the President's service".

He is then asked what was the "biggest roadblock" to achieving cuts.

Musk says it's mostly just a lot of hard work, going through the "vast expenses" of federal government and asking what certain money is for, and whether it's being used well.

"Many times we can't find anyone who defends [some expenses]," Musk tells the news conference.

Mike Wendling

Image source, Getty Images

In praising the work of Doge, President Trump ran down a typical mishmash of fact and spin.

He claims that Elon Musk has stopped "fraud-slash-waste", but there’s little evidence of any criminal activity.

One of the examples Trump just cited is what he called a $20 million dollar grant to "Arab Sesame Street".

It appears that the grant from the US Agency for International Development (USAID) – one of the top Doge targets - was for an early childhood development progamme in Iraq. There’s a TV show which shares a name with that programme that uses Sesame Street characters.

Fact-checkers at the website Snopes have delved into the detail, external and have found that the White House likely conflated the development programme and the TV show. It’s also unclear exactly how much money was paid out.

But in one sense, fact-checking is beside the point here. Trump, Musk and their supporters point to this programme and others like them and broadly claim it’s common sense to consider them wastes of American taxpayer funds. They don’t seem to worry too much about the exact details.

Their opponents will point to the positive work that USAID has done around the world.

Musk takes a question from a journalist in the room - and it's about the New York Times report which suggests he was using drugs heavily while on the campaign trail with Trump.

Musk responds by citing a recent judgement against the New York Times regarding reporting on "Russiagate".

"That New York Times?" Musk says.

"Let's move on."

For context: The reference is in regard to a judge's decision earlier this week that Trump can proceed with a defamation case against the Washington Post and New York Times for their reporting on alleged connections between Trump's 2016 campaign and Russia.

The questions in the room regarding the New York Times were coming from a reporter for Fox News, who is a member of today's "pool" alongside conservative TV outlet Newsmax, newspapers the Hill and Wall Street Journal, ABC Radio and a handful of photographers.

Today's pool also includes a "new media" outlet, a Texas-based conservative news outlet.

Trump presents Musk with a large golden key inside a wooden box, saying it's something he only gives to "special people" as a thank you from the country.

"This is not the end of the Doge but really the beginning," he says.

He emphasised that though his time as a government employee is coming to an end, Doge will carry on. He says he expects there will soon be a trillion dollars in government savings.

Doge's running total of estimated savings puts that figure around $175bn as of 26 May, but BBC analysis found only about a quarter of that had a link to a document or other form of evidence.

Image source, Getty Images

"I’ll continue to be visiting here and be a friend and advisor of the president," Musk says.

He then spends a moment admiring the Oval Office, especially the 24k gold-plated eagle on the ceiling.

How much has Doge really saved?published at 19:18 British Summer Time 30 May

19:18 BST 30 May

By Lucy Gilder

As Elon Musk bows out of his role at Doge (the Department of Government Efficiency), BBC Verify has looked at how much it has claimed to have cut from US spending.

Last year, Musk pledged to cut "at least $2 trillion" from federal government spending, but more recently he halved this target and talked about making savings of $150bn by the end of the next financial year in 2026.

Doge publishes a running total of its estimated savings on its website, external - which stood at $175bn the last time the site was updated on 26 May.

We downloaded the data from the website on 30 May and our analysis found that less than half ($73.3bn) of the headline figure is broken down into itemised savings and only around a quarter ($44.1bn) had a link to a document or other form of evidence.

Doge says it is working to upload all receipts in a "digestible and transparent manner”.

BBC Verify has also spoken to contract experts who raised questions about the validity of some of Doge’s biggest claimed individual savings.

• Read more: How much has Elon Musk's Doge cut from US government spending?

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House

While Trump has lavished a bit of praise on Musk - much of the speech so far has been comprised of familiar talking points that are often made by the President.

His various mentions include encouraging countries to negotiate on trade, tariffs, and he speaks of the US economy. He claims that the US eliminated ISIS in his first term. These are all things that come up with some regularity.

There are so far no surprises from today's Oval Office event.