Musk bids farewell to Trump, leaving behind a report card of "cutting $160 billion", far below expectations.

Musk "bids farewell" to Trump's cabinet, claiming that DOGE has saved $160 billion, far below the initial target. According to media reports, local time on Wednesday, Musk announced at a White House meeting that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) he leads has saved $160 billion in expenses so far. This is far from the "at least $2 trillion cut" he promised last fall. During the meeting, when President Trump mentioned that DOGE had "saved" $1.5 trillion, Musk immediately corrected him, saying, "It's $160 billion, but who's counting?" It is worth noting that Musk had already started to downplay the initial promise in a January interview this year, stating, "If we aim to cut $2 trillion, the actual figure may be closer to $1 trillion." Some experts question that the actual amount saved by DOGE may be far below the $160 billion claimed by Musk. According to the non-profit organization Partnership for Public Service, "firings, rehiring, productivity losses, and paid leave for thousands of employees related to DOGE are estimated to cost over $135 billion in this fiscal year." This means that, despite Musk's claims of significant results, the DOGE project may actually lead to an increase in government net spending. "Partial farewell" to the White House: Musk shifts focus to Tesla At the meeting on Wednesday, Musk said to Trump, "It has been an honor to work with your outstanding cabinet. I just want to thank everyone; it has been an honor to work with you, thank you for everything you have done." "In the first 100 days, we have achieved great things. As everyone has said, this is more achievements than any other government has ever achieved. So, this bodes well for the work of the next government, for the work of other governments in the future." Trump said at the meeting, "We all have to thank you for your help. You have made great sacrifices. You have been treated very unfairly." Musk then half-jokingly said, "Well, they like to burn my cars, which is not good." During Tesla's last earnings conference call, Musk revealed that starting in May, he will significantly reduce his working hours at the Department of Government Efficiency, planning to spend "one or two days" per week on this government project. "As long as the president wants me to do so, as long as it is useful, I will continue the work of DOGE. But starting next month, I will allocate more time to Tesla because the main work of establishing DOGE has been completed." The report stated that Musk is no longer working in the West Wing of the White House, but his DOGE deputies are still working in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in the White House complex. This article is from "Wall Street See News," author: Li Xiaoyin; GMTEight editor: Liu Jiayin.