• Economy
  • Editor’s Pick
Money Rise Today – Investing and Stock News
  • Investing
  • Stock
Editor's Pick

Flashback: Top five wildest moments from Elon Musk’s DOGE tenure as it comes to an end

by May 29, 2025
written by May 29, 2025

Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk announced his departure from DOGE on social media Wednesday after five months of viral moments and cuts that sparked both praise and controversy nationwide. Fox News Digital compiled five of the top memorable moments from that span. 

Tesla photo shoot at the White House with President Trump

As Musk’s efforts to cut government waste resulted in outrage from Democrats and violent protests at Tesla dealerships across the country, along with a dip in Tesla’s stock price, President Donald Trump announced he was going to purchase a Tesla and met with Musk outside the White House to look at options.

‘I’m going to buy a brand-new Tesla tomorrow morning as a show of confidence and support for Elon Musk, a truly great American,’ Trump announced.

‘To Republicans, Conservatives, and all great Americans, Elon Musk is ‘putting it on the line’ in order to help our Nation, and he is doing a FANTASTIC JOB! But the Radical Left Lunatics, as they often do, are trying to illegally and collusively boycott Tesla, one of the World’s great automakers, and Elon’s ‘baby,’ in order to attack and do harm to Elon, and everything he stands for,’ Trump said on Truth Social. 

Trump and Musk were photographed examining different Tesla models and sitting inside them.

Musk got in on the passenger side and joked about ‘giving the Secret Service a heart attack’ as they talked about how to start a vehicle that can reach 60 miles per hour in a few seconds.

‘That’s beautiful, this is a different panel . . . everything’s computer!’ Trump remarked, in a comment that went viral on social media. ‘That’s beautiful! Wow!’

Trump told reporters that he would write a check for the car he chose, which retails for roughly $80,000, and leave it at the White House, so his staff could drive it. The president also said he hopes his purchase will boost Tesla, which was struggling with sagging sales and declining stock prices at the time.

Iron Mountain revelation

One of the most notable DOGE revelations as it scoured the government for waste, fraud, and abuse was Musk’s announcement in February that his agency was looking into a limestone mine in Pennsylvania where he said federal employee retirements are processed manually using a system that could take months. 

‘We’re like, well, what? Why is that? Well, because all the retirement paperwork is manual on paper,’ Musk said. ‘It’s manually calculated and written down on a piece of paper. Then it goes down to mine and like, what do you mean, a mine?’

DOGE wrote on X that an old limestone mine in Boyers, Pennsylvania, about 60 miles north of Pittsburgh, is where about 700 workers operate more than 230 feet underground to process about 10,000 federal retirement applications per month.

The applications are processed by hand using paper, and are stored in manila envelopes and cardboard boxes, DOGE said.

The Washington Post described the facility as a ‘sinkhole of bureaucracy’ in a 2014 article. At the time, the report said the total spending on the retirement system was $55.8 million. 

‘And then the speed, the limiting factor is the speed at which the mine shaft elevator can move, determines how many people can retire from the federal government,’ Musk said. ‘And the elevator breaks down and sometimes, and then you can’t, nobody can retire. Doesn’t that sound crazy?’

Lil X steals the show at the White House

Musk’s 4-year-old son, Æ A-12, also known as ‘Lil X,’ was often seen accompanying his father for visits to the White House and Capitol Hill in recent months, often going viral on social media. 

In February, Lil X made headlines after attending an Oval Office meeting and mimicking his father while he spoke, at one point sitting on Musk’s shoulders and putting his fingers in the former DOGE chief’s ears, and holding onto the Resolute Desk. 

‘This is X, and he’s a great guy. High IQ,’ a chuckling Trump said, adding that the boy is a ‘high-IQ individual.’

In March, heartwarming photographs of Trump walking to the president’s helicopter, Marine One, with Elon Musk’s son went viral on social media, with internet users doting over the joyful moment. 

Explosive interviews with ‘Big Balls’ and the DOGE team

Musk sat down with ‘Special Report’ executive editor Bret Baier for a revealing behind-the-scenes interview with members of his team earlier in March and offered previously unseen glimpses into the work being done.

Musk, along with DOGE members Steve Davis, Joe Gebbia, Aram Moghaddassi, Brad Smith, Anthony Armstrong, Tom Krause and Tyler Hassen, illustrated key efforts of the department to achieve Trump’s goal. Davis brought up federal credit cards, which he labeled a ‘mundane’ but ‘illustrative’ example of DOGE’s work.

‘There are in the federal government around 4.6 million credit cards for around 2.3 to 2.4 million employees. This doesn’t make sense. So one of the things all of the teams have worked on is we’ve worked for the agencies and said, ‘Do you need all of these credit cards? Are they being used? Can you tell us physically where they are?” Davis explained.

‘Clearly there should not be more credit cards than there are people,’ Musk responded.

The eight-man group also discussed DOGE’s work relating to the federal workforce, financial management, government infrastructure, computer systems, Social Security and more.

‘They may characterize it as shooting from the hip, but it is anything but that,’ Musk said, noting that the agency’s approach to cuts is to ‘measure twice, if not thrice, and cut once.’

Earlier this month, Musk and his team gave a second revealing interview to ‘Jesse Watters Primetime,’ outlining examples of waste they had discovered in government. 

As the team shared cases of wasteful spending from top departments to smaller agencies, Watters asked how the findings made Musk and the DOGE members feel.

‘Unfortunately, like the 100th time you’ve heard it, it’s hard not to get a little numb, and by the 200th time, you’re like, well, OK, it was just another day at the office,’ Musk replied.

One DOGE member, who joined Musk on ‘Jesse Watters Primetime,’ revealed that he had dropped out of Harvard University to ‘serve my country,’ but faced backlash. 

‘It’s been unfortunate to see lost friendships. Most of campus hates me now, but I think, fundamentally, I hope people realize through conversations like this that reform is genuinely needed,’ he said.

In the interview, 19-year-old DOGE team member Edward Coristine revealed how he got the nickname ‘Big Balls,’ which had received significant chatter online. 

Coristine went on to say that the system that distributes government or taxpayer money ‘literally has no checks and no accountability to the actual American taxpayer.’

‘So, it’s a huge vector for fraud, waste, and abuse.’

Dismantling of USAID

Out of the many agencies that experienced cuts during Musk’s time at DOGE, USAID was perhaps the most discussed and most affected by DOGE’s findings. 

In March, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that 83% of USAID programs would be canceled following the conclusion of a six-week review by DOGE.

In total, 5,200 contracts were to be terminated, Rubio wrote on X, announcing the new reforms. He said the canceled contracts amounted to ‘tens of billions of dollars’ being spent ‘in ways that did not serve,’ or even harmed, the national interests of the U.S.

Rubio added that the remaining 18% of USAID programs—approximately 1,000—would now be managed by the State Department. The move to transfer that authority, he said, was made in consultation with Congress. 

Several examples of questionable spending were made public by DOGE, including where Biden’s USAID awarded $20 million to a nonprofit called Sesame Workshopto produce a show called ‘Ahlan Simsim Iraq’ in an effort to ‘promote inclusion, mutual respect and understanding across ethnic, religious and sectarian groups.’ 

More than $900,000 went to a ‘Gaza-based terror charity,’ called Bayader Association for Environment and Development, and $1.5 million went to a program slated to ‘advance diversity, equity and inclusion in Serbia’s workplaces and business communities.’

Fox News Digital’s Alec Schemmel, Stephen Sorace and Associated Press contributed to this report.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS
0 comment
0
FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail

previous post
Boeing to resume airplane deliveries to China next month, ramp up Max production, CEO says
next post
Hawley urges DOJ probe of Chinese trucking company

related articles

DAVID MARCUS: Trump’s ballroom is no vanity project,...

October 23, 2025

Examining the next threat from Communist China: Our...

October 23, 2025

Sparks fly as Cuomo, Mamdani tear into each...

October 23, 2025

Trump meets NATO’s Rutte amid canceled Putin meeting:...

October 22, 2025

Schumer blocks 12th GOP bid to reopen government...

October 22, 2025

FLASHBACK: Ted Cruz predicts ballooning Obamacare subsidies now...

October 22, 2025

DAVID MARCUS: 5 things New York Republicans need...

October 22, 2025

American missionary kidnapped in Niger by suspected Islamist...

October 22, 2025

Jack Smith defends subpoenaing Republican senators’ phone records:...

October 22, 2025

Trump meets NATO’s Rutte as Ukraine peace talks...

October 22, 2025
Enter Your Information Below To Receive Free Trading Ideas, Latest News, And Articles.


Your information is secure and your privacy is protected. By opting in you agree to receive emails from us. Remember that you can opt-out any time, we hate spam too!

Latest News

  • Trump tariffs could prove to be a menace for homebuyers: here’s why

    March 6, 2025
  • Russia, Ukraine agree to Black Sea ceasefire following US talks

    March 25, 2025
  • White House reveals highest-paid staffers – and 8 taking no salaries

    July 3, 2025
  • Harris concedes presidential race, campaign manager sends letter to staff: ‘Losing is unfathomably painful’

    November 6, 2024
  • Top Dems demand special counsel to investigate Jared Kushner less than 2 weeks from Election Day

    October 25, 2024

Popular Posts

  • 1

    Secret Service admits leaning on ‘state and local partners’ after claim it ignored Trump team’s past requests

    July 21, 2024
  • 2

    Five more House Democrats call on Biden to drop out, third US senator

    July 19, 2024
  • 3

    Elon and Vivek should tackle US funding for this boondoogle organization and score a multimillion dollar win

    December 4, 2024
  • 4

    Forex Profit Calculator: Maximize Your Trading Potential

    July 10, 2024
  • 5

    Biden calls to ‘lower the temperature’ then bashes Trump in NAACP speech

    July 17, 2024

Categories

  • Economy (829)
  • Editor's Pick (6,498)
  • Investing (634)
  • Stock (941)

Latest Posts

  • Trump’s ‘Make America Healthy Again’ commission to target autism, chronic diseases

    February 13, 2025
  • Trump’s Gaza relocation proposal sparks heated debate among Palestinians: ‘no life left here’

    February 11, 2025
  • The 6 Republican senators who could sink a Trump nomination

    November 16, 2024

Recent Posts

  • New book reveals what Kamala Harris ‘moaned’ to her husband during Walz’s disastrous VP debate

    September 23, 2025
  • Trump White House demands apology after Jeffries calls for Dems to fight president’s agenda ‘in the streets’

    January 31, 2025
  • Left-wing dark money network hauled in more than $1.3B in anonymous donations for liberal causes in 2023

    November 16, 2024

Editor’s Pick

  • Tulsi Gabbard confirmation vote set for Wednesday after snowstorm thwarts midnight session

    February 12, 2025
  • Jasmine Crockett shares bizarre song clip calling herself ‘leader of the future’

    May 27, 2025
  • Rubio fires back at Trump critics accusing former president of being ‘fascist’

    October 27, 2024
  • About us
  • Contacts
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions

Disclaimer: moneyrisetoday.com, its managers, its employees, and assigns (collectively “The Company”) do not make any guarantee or warranty about what is advertised above. Information provided by this website is for research purposes only and should not be considered as personalized financial advice. The Company is not affiliated with, nor does it receive compensation from, any specific security. The Company is not registered or licensed by any governing body in any jurisdiction to give investing advice or provide investment recommendation. Any investments recommended here should be taken into consideration only after consulting with your investment advisor and after reviewing the prospectus or financial statements of the company.

Copyright © 2025 moneyrisetoday.com | All Rights Reserved

Money Rise Today – Investing and Stock News
  • Economy
  • Editor’s Pick
Money Rise Today – Investing and Stock News
  • Investing
  • Stock