[Text/Observer Network, Xiong Chaoyan] Previously, American billionaire Elon Musk had stated that he would step back from the "Department of Government Efficiency" (DOGE) and refocus on the business world. On April 30 local time, he was first given a round of applause at President Trump's cabinet meeting to bid him farewell, and then denied the Wall Street Journal's report that Tesla's board was considering replacing the CEO.

According to CNN reports, earlier that day, Musk led three senior team members from DOGE into the Roosevelt Room in the West Wing of the White House for a discussion with more than a dozen mainstream media reporters. He reviewed his time in the Trump administration and once compared himself to a legendary figure in Buddhism—the Buddha.

"Does Buddhism need the Buddha? Did Buddhism not flourish even more after the Buddha passed away?" According to The Washington Post's report, when asked who would lead DOGE after his resignation, Musk, who has already stated that he will leave DOGE this month, posed this rhetorical question.

On April 30 local time, Musk attended the cabinet meeting called by Trump, CNN

CNN reported that Musk once told his fans on his social media platform X—"You are now the media"; after joining the Trump administration, he consistently avoided interviews with what he considered "unfriendly media," preferring to be active in Fox News, conservative podcasts, and his own safe space on X.

On April 30 local time, The Wall Street Journal exclusively reported, citing sources, that due to the decline in Tesla's stock price and some investors' dissatisfaction with the company's CEO Musk's focus on the White House, Tesla board members have contacted several executive search firms to find a successor for Musk. Subsequently, both Musk personally and Tesla strongly denied this report.

On the same day, this global richest man and important advisor to Trump voluntarily stepped out of his "echo chamber" and held face-to-face dialogues with numerous media outlets, including reporters from The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today, Axios, Semafor, Bloomberg, ABC, NBC, and Fox News. Even the Associated Press, which had its White House press credentials revoked during the Trump administration, was among them.

According to insider information, Musk's dialogue session was relatively hasty. In the morning, White House officials only notified reporters that they were invited to interview Musk and had about an hour to respond whether they would attend. This informal media meeting took place in the afternoon and lasted for about an hour. The source said that Musk actively interacted with the journalists throughout the session. Despite his long-standing grievances with mainstream media, he did not display any confrontational attitude on the scene.

The source also mentioned that although he compared himself to the Buddha, Musk's tone sounded somewhat disheartened, and some journalists present also felt the same way. Jonathan Swan of The New York Times wrote: "Looking back on these 101 days, Elon Musk sounds less confident."

In this conversation, Musk admitted that DOGE had not yet achieved its initial goal of cutting $1 trillion in federal spending, reducing only about $16 billion, and without more support from Washington, achieving his set goals would be "very difficult."

Associated Press reported that Musk said: "The question is how much pain are the cabinet and Congress willing to endure? This goal can be achieved, but it must face overwhelming protests."

While DOGE was drastically cutting federal expenditures, it indeed sparked widespread opposition, including the Republican leadership and Musk himself becoming targets of criticism. Musk admitted there were cases of "wrongly dismissing key positions" during the large-scale cuts to federal agencies.

According to USA Today, Musk also told reporters that he had stayed in the bedroom once occupied by former President Lincoln "more than once"; Trump called him late at night to beg him to go to the White House kitchen to get some caramel-flavored Häagen-Dazs ice cream.

On April 29, The New York Post reported that White House Chief of Staff Susan Rice revealed that Musk was no longer working at the White House and they were currently communicating via phone.

However, Musk told reporters that although he would reduce his time in Washington, he still kept an office in the White House. According to Axios, Musk disclosed, "That office has a window, but all you can see is the air conditioning unit outside, which is good. I think it makes it harder for 'assassins' to shoot at me." He also boasted that he still had the largest computer monitor in the White House building complex, saying, "DOGE is a lifestyle."

According to Fox News on April 30, as Musk was about to distance himself from government affairs, President Trump said at the cabinet meeting that day: "You have been treated unfairly, but the vast majority of people in this country really respect and appreciate you. Everyone here can definitely express this. This has truly given us great help, and you have shown many people what can be done; we are very grateful to you."

At this point, applause broke out for Musk in the room, and Trump added, "You can stay in the government as long as you want," jokingly adding, "But I guess he always wants to go home to his car business and family."

It was reported that Musk was actually hired by the Trump administration as a "special government employee," a position established by the U.S. Congress in 1962, allowing administrative or legislative departments to hire temporary employees for specific short-term plans.

Information from the U.S. Office of Government Ethics (OGE) shows that the maximum duration of work for a "special government employee" within the federal government cannot exceed 130 days in 365 days. If Musk's 130-day limit starts from the January 20 inauguration date, it ends on May 30.

This article is an exclusive contribution from Observer Network and cannot be reprinted without permission.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7499716537738101298/

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