President Trump welcomed television cameras into the Oval Office this afternoon for a goodbye event for Elon Musk, the billionaire whose short time in Washington was both exceptional and turbulent.

Musk, after years of drifting to the political right, spent hundreds of millions of dollars to get Trump elected. He then wielded enormous power from an unpaid advisory role, traveling with the president and attending meetings with foreign leaders. Musk’s central effort in Washington was aimed at gutting the government bureaucracy. He often inflated the results of his cost-saving measures and never came close to his goal of $1 trillion in cuts, but his chain-saw approach to cutting spending will be lasting. Workers were fired, contracts were canceled and programs were eliminated.

Ultimately, Musk’s departure — which he attributed to the end of the 130-day legal limit for “special government employees” — came as his influence inside the Trump administration appeared to be waning. He has faced friction with the president, with whom he has clashed on tariffs and budget issues.

Still, Trump heaped praise today on Musk, describing him as “one of the greatest business leaders and innovators the world has ever produced.” He gave Musk a golden key emblazoned with the White House insignia and said he would remain an adviser.

Musk, too, vowed not to fully leave Trump’s orbit. He told Trump’s advisers this year that he would give $100 million to political groups controlled by the president’s team before the 2026 midterm elections.

Musk showed up to today’s event with a black eye. He said that his 5-year-old son had punched him when the two were “horsing around.”