Announced last week, Elon Musk is stepping back from his “special government employee” role running his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) for Donald Trump. On Monday night, The Daily Show‘s Jon Stewart unpacked the Tesla CEO’s decision with his signature gleeful gusto.
“DOGE has finally rooted out one of America’s least efficient government workers and marked him for dismissal,” Stewart says in the clip above. “He’s leaving his job to make more family with his time.”
Stewart noted it’s only been four months since Musk mobilised his DOGE task force and all the ill-advised emails that went with it, with the group systematically seizing federal government computers and accessing databases, firing over 280,000 government workers, and entirely closing government agencies including USAID. But as Stewart wonders, was it worth it for Musk?
“Elon spent $300 million of his own money to get Trump elected, irreparably damaged his personal brand and almost all of his businesses, and is clearly suffering some kind of issue,” Stewart said. “But don’t worry, Trump made sure that Elon got something in return.”
Stewart’s talking about the golden key that Musk received from Trump in the Oval Office, presented by the president as a token he gives “to very special people” now including Musk — but notably, not only Musk.
“You couldn’t just give him the f***ing key. You had to make sure that everybody knows you give ’em to a lot of people. It’s just not that special,” Stewart said before imitating Trump: “You know I’ve got a bunch of these. I give ’em to special people. Who’s the guy who brings me my Diet Cokes? I give him one for every Diet Coke.”
