Donald Trump hails Elon Musk as 'a great patriot and brilliant guy’ as Tesla CEO's DOGE exit nears

WASHINGTON, DC: Donald Trump had only praise for Elon Musk as he signed executive orders in the Oval Office on Wednesday, April 23.

The president hailed the Tesla CEO’s work as the lead of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) amid widespread criticism. He said, “He’s an incredible … brilliant guy. He was a tremendous help both in the campaign and in what he's done with DOGE,” as reported by Fox News.

Donald Trump says Elon Musk has 'helped the country'

The commander-in-chief proceeded to call out critics of Elon Musk.

He said, “They took it out on Tesla, and I just thought it was so unfair because he's trying to help the country, but he has helped the country … He didn't need to do this. He did it,” referring to the plunging sales of Tesla.

Trump also mentioned Musk’s aerospace work with SpaceX, noting, “When you see those rockets go up and come back and land in the same gantry, nobody else can do that but this man.”

“So he's just an incredible person, and he's a friend of mine as a nice person too, as a very nice person,” the MAGA leader added.

Donald Trump would like to keep Elon Musk in his administration for a long time

The 78-year-old leader, however, was not done yet as he added, “He's a great patriot… he makes a great product… It's a great car. It’s [a] great everything. Starlink is great. What he does is good. He’s doing medical things that are amazing.”

Concluding his praises, Trump told the media that the 53-year-old billionaire is always welcome to work beside him as his tenure as DOGE’s chair will reportedly expire in May or early June.

“I told him… whenever you’re ready, I’d like to keep him for a long time,” Trump asserted.

Democrats want to make Elon Musk the central character in midterm attack ads

This came after some Democrats expressed concern over Elon Musk’s possible exit from his DOGE role, fearing it could undermine their plan to make him a focal point of midterm attack ads.

Massachusetts Representative Lori Trahan, who co-chairs House Democrats’ messaging committee, said, “As long as he’s there using a chainsaw to all the programs that people back home rely on and need to make ends meet, of course, we’re going to make him a central character,” as per Politico. 

“At some point, he will become a liability for the president, and they will sever ties. And we will adjust as we head into the midterms,” Trahan added.

“Right now, [Musk] is both literally and symbolically the best foil for Democrats. Trump has taught us that politics works best when you’re simple and clear, and going after Musk’s power grab and Musk’s money grab … is simple,” Democratic pollster Paul Maslin noted.