Elon Musk put on a defiant display during his latest Oval Office appearance on Friday, May 30. His black eye? That was courtesy of his 5-year-old son and, he clarified, next to a laughing Donald Trump. "I wasn't anywhere near France," said Musk a reference to the video of French First Lady Brigitte Macron putting her hands on the face of President Emmanuel Macron as they landed in Hanoi on May 26. The drug use allegations published on Friday by The New York Times? He snapped back that they were untrue. His record at the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which has only saved $175 billion? "I'm confident that over time we'll see $1 trillion of savings," he said. Trump also reiterated that the billionaire would remain in his circle: "[Elon's] not really leaving. He's going to be back and forth... [DOGE is] his baby."

In reality, Musk is indeed on his way out. The purge is underway, as shown by the withdrawal of the nomination to lead NASA of billionaire Jared Isaacman, a close ally of his. The issue wasn't a potential conflict of interest with SpaceX, Musk's space company, but that Isaacman had previously funded the Democratic Party. A few weeks earlier, Musk's pick for the head of the Internal Revenue Service was also sidelined to make way for a protégé of Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. At President Trump's court, Musk has faded into the background. His failure is glaring, and it's a pity.

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