Image source, Reuters

Trump turns now to his "big, beautiful bill" which Musk criticised only days ago - saying he felt it undermined the work he had done to reduce spending.

Today, the US president says that "some" of the cuts he has listed will sit under the bill, although "most" will come later.

As for Doge itself, Trump tells reporters many of those working in the department are staying on.

He also has a "feeling", he adds, that Musk is "really not leaving" but will be "back and forth".

"It's his baby," he says.

It echoes comments he made on Truth Social - "This will be his last day, but not really, because he will, always, be with us," Trump posted yesterday.

Donald Trump says Musk has led to countless wasteful and unnecessary contracts being terminated, and many more are now under review.

He says that in maybe six months or almost a year, the US government will go through procedures to deal with these contracts.

The US president then lists some projects and how much he says has been saved by cancelling them. The BBC has previously debunked some of these claims. We'll bring you more on that from our BBC Verify colleagues shortly.

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

Image source, Reuter

A glowing tribute from the president at the outset - calling Musk the greatest businessman the world has ever produced, says Donald Trump.

Musk is standing to his right, arms folded - his t-shirt reads "doge father". It looks like there's a bruise over his right eye.

Trump says Elon Musk and his team at the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) have found "things that are unbelievably stupid and unbelievably bad".

He says Musk has made a "colossal change" in how things are being done in Washington.

"The mindset in the senior ranks in every federal department has really changed," Trump said.

For context: After Doge's cuts, federal agencies have been largely unable to hire further staff and programmes deemed non-essential - particularly those focused internationally - have been cut.

Image source, Reuters

The event begins with President Trump saying Musk did a "fantastic job".

"Our government is a little nasty on occasion," Trump then says. "Yeah at times," Musk responds.

Trump then says he's going to play a video about the stock market.

There's a laptop in front of him with the screen facing the camera. It plays a segment from US broadcaster CNBC talking about the stock market being up.

For context: Trump often claims that tariffs will lead to improved personal finances for American households - although economists don't all agree.

The press conference is beginning.

We'll be bringing you the main lines here and you can also follow along by clicking Watch Live at the top of this page.

Despite its full name, Doge is not an official government department, which can only be established by an act of Congress.

Instead, it's an advisory body which was created by an executive order signed by US President Donald Trump.

Part of Doge's mission, according to the order, relates to IT upgrades aimed at boosting efficiency. It must finish its work by July 2026.

Many Doge staff appear to be young people with tech backgrounds and limited or no government experience.

Musk said Doge's mission was to end the "tyranny of the bureaucracy", save taxpayers' money and reduce US national debt, which stands at $36tn (£28.9tn).

The organisation's activities have included shuttering government agencies, defunding programmes and mass layoffs.

• Read more: What is Doge and why is Musk leaving?

Image source, Reuters

Reacting to Elon Musk's departure, US President Donald Trump called the billionaire "terrific" in a social media post on Thursday.

It's Musk's last day - what has he achieved at the White House?published at 18:24 British Summer Time 30 May

18:24 BST 30 May

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House

Image source, Getty Images

Elon Musk's time in the Trump administration is coming to an end after a tempestuous 129 days in which the world's richest person took an axe to government spending - stirring ample controversy along the way.

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.

In addition to taking a chainsaw to federal spending - and cutting some 260,000 jobs from the federal workforce - some observers have credited Musk with helping nudge the White House even further towards an "America First" world view and bringing misinformation into the Oval Office.

His presence at the White House also revealed deep fissures in Trump's cabinet, and blurred the already complicated line between politics and business in the "Trump 2.0" administration.

• Read more about the changes that Musk brought to the White House here

Gary O'Donoghue
Chief North America correspondent

It looked as though Elon Musk's departure from government would be with more of a whimper than a bang.

But the insertion late last night of this valedictory news conference looks like a testament to some residual presidential affection.

Key will be the figures that will no doubt get bandied around by Musk and Trump about how much money exactly has been saved.

Remember the initial goal during the campaign was two trillion dollars - almost a third of discretional federal spending.

That soon became one trillion at the start of the administration - and according to Doge itself, the actual current savings stand at $175bn - less than a tenth of the original goal.

Musk may also face some uncomfortable questions about his personal life and his use of prescription drugs such as Ketamine.

And how will both men handle their clear disagreements over the "big, beautiful" bill - which the president vaunts and which Musk believes will add trillions to spending.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House

Good afternoon from the sunny White House - which has become a hub of activity ahead of Elon Musk's meeting with Donald Trump at the Oval Office.

Musk's presence here is one that has long been a focus for the White House press corps. That's reflected in the amount of people trickling in at the moment, on a day in which this is really the only public event expected here.

The meeting is expected to be cordial, with both men praising the work of Doge and Musk's role over the last few months.

Trump has repeatedly defended Musk's role at the White House, and several months ago I had the opportunity to ask Trump about him myself on a day in which I was a member of the pool.

In response to my question about Musk's future, Trump called him "brilliant" and said that he would "like to keep him for a long time".

That, however, came long before Musk said that he was "disappointed" in Trump's "big, beautiful" bill - the first public sign of disagreement between the two men.

Today might also see Musk questioned about reports that he was heavily using drugs during the Trump campaign, external.

Earlier, the White House Chief of Staff, Stephen Miller, was asked about that as well.

"The drugs that we're concerned about are the drugs running across the southern border," Miller responded.

Image source, Reuters

Elon Musk announced his “scheduled time as a special government employee” was coming to an end on his social media platform X on Wednesday.

He thanked President Donald Trump for the “opportunity to reduce wasteful spending” and announced that the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) would continue in his absence.

"The Doge mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government," the South African-born billionaire wrote.

Rachel Flynn
Reporting from Washington DC

Image source, Reuters

Tech tycoon and, until the end of the day, special government employee Elon Musk is set to speak in the Oval Office shortly, on what he says is his last day in the role.

Musk's designated role allowed him to work a federal job for 130 days each year, which he began 130 days ago on Trump's inauguration.

He promised to slash government spending and "waste" - we'll be analysing whether he did so successfully.

His departure from the White House comes a day after he said he was "disappointed" with Trump's budget bill, which proposes multi-trillion dollar tax breaks and a boost to defence spending.

Those 130 days have been full of twists, turns, and headlines - which we'll be delving into throughout our coverage.

Stay with us as we look ahead to a news conference with Trump and Musk at 13:30 local time (18:30 BST) and analysis from our correspondents along the way.