President Donald Trump said in a conversation with reporters Thursday that Elon Musk hopes to remain with his team “for as long as possible.”
The president made a statement in a conversation with Air Force reporters after being asked how long Trump would remain as a “special civil servant.”
Questions followed a Politico report this week, claiming that Trump told his inner circle that Musk would soon leave his role as a “special government employee.” The report cited internal complaints about Musk’s “unpredictability” and the possibility of being “political responsibility.”
“Elon is great. He’s a patriot,” Trump told reporters, adding that Musk can stay in the White House “for as long as he likes,” he personally hopes to stay “as long as he can.”
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“I like smart people, he’s smart, and I personally like him,” Trump added. “We’re not in a hurry, but there’s a point where Elon has to leave.”
According to data from the Government Ethics Office, “special government officials” are permitted to work for the federal government for “up to 130 days in 365 days.” Musk’s 130-day time slot expires on May 30th from the inauguration date.
When asked if he would consider appointing him to another post, Trump said it could be.
“Yeah. I think Elon is great,” Trump replied. “But he also has a company that runs, or a company that runs many.”
Musk hasn’t left yet, once he puts the job together on a schedule saying, “The incredible job at Doge is perfect”: White House
According to the president, his Cabinet “secretary” will take over the work Musk has done with Doji at the Musk exit from Doji.
The job found something “terrifying” and “incredible” today, but he added that he would not have given reporters any further details.
New York Times opinion writers despair in the first 50 days of the Trump administration. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Musk’s work with Doge officially began after President Trump signed an executive order established in his office on January 20th. The role of “special government employee” was created in 1962 to allow temporary employees to be hired for certain short-term initiatives.
When asked for a specific date for a potential departure for the mask, the president replied that it could be as long as “a few months.”
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“I’ll protect him as much as I can keep him,” Trump told reporters earlier this week. “He’s a very talented guy. You know, I love very smart people. He’s very smart. And he did a good job.”
The president added that one of the Air Forces expects many of the employees working under Musk in Doge to end up in full-time positions at various federal agencies.
Emma Colton from Fox News contributed to this report.
