US President Donald Trump on Monday said he expects Elon Musk will eventually return to running his companies after his work overhauling the federal government, Report informs via The Hill.
A reporter noted that Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, is a special government employee, which means he can only work for 130 days in his role. When asked if he wants Musk to stay longer, Trump said he will want to return to his companies.
“I think he’s amazing but I also think he’s got a big company to run. At some point, he’s going to be going back. He wants to,” Trump said. “I’d keep him as long as I can keep him. He’s a very talented guy.”
“At some point, Elon’s going to want to go back to his company,” he added, arguing that it’s “terrible” how Musk has been treated in the public sphere.
Musk has been working to improve the image of his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) after becoming a boogeyman for the administration due to his cost-cutting push. Teslas have been vandalized and the company’s stock has plummeted, while the White House and Trump have gone to bat for the company.